Rizki Amalia

Decent work for all is the United Nations’ (2021) 8th Sustainable Development Goal. It is defined as work that is not only productive but also guarantees equal opportunities and treatment, decent working time, a safe working environment, adequate income, job stability and security, and social protection for workers and their families.

However, this is not always the case; in reality, many workers, particularly women, work in non-standard types of employment to earn money where the indicators of decent work are lacking, particularly access to social protection. One of the main reasons for this is that their role as caregivers to their families is a priority. Given their domestic conditions and economic needs, they must try to balance their role as primary caregivers and help bring in an income to support their families. Therefore, jobs with flexible working hours are preferred, but this flexibility comes at a cost in terms of job quality.

Even though job quality is still lacking, Gig work is often posited to answer this problem by giving women opportunities to work independently and flexibly, which is usually a marketing tactic of the Gig economy. Flexible working hours and working independently are also the two main reasons women are involved in the online gig economy. Gig work can be characterised as short-term jobs in which the workers are hired as independent contractors rather than employees, and hence, such roles often fall short of meeting decent work requirements. The most significant difference between Gig work and other types of labour is the existence of an intermediary as a digital platform provider.

Considering how online application platform providers work, it might also foster an increased sense of powerlessness for motorcycle ride-hailing drivers. The role of algorithmic control in allowing online application platform providers to manage them. Application platform providers rely on algorithmic management and act as “shadow employers” and, as such, profoundly shape employee-employer relationships, pushing workers to engage in cognitive, social and emotional “extra work” to ensure their sustainable access, visibility and reputation. Furthermore, the algorithm aims to influence online ride-hailing drivers’ behaviours. Direct links between algorithmic control modes to stress as a novel source manifested especially among Gig workers.

While a significant body of knowledge is developing on work, stress, and job quality in the gig economy, much of this looks at gig work in either male or female-dominated sectors. This research addresses that lacuna by taking an occupational segregation approach, finding the work-related stress risk factors that focus on a non-traditional occupation within the gig economy, female motorbike drivers (online ride-hailing), and their coping mechanisms in a stressful environment.  In this regard, the research will contribute to a better understanding of work-related stress, coping mechanisms, and well-being and develop knowledge about gender differences in the gig economy.