Women in the Platform Economy: Evidence, Accountability and Algorithmic Governance
Webinar | Online
About the Event
As labour markets are increasingly shaped by digital platforms, women’s work is being reorganised through algorithmic systems that mediate access to opportunities, performance evaluation, and earnings. Positioned at the intersection of technological transformation and labour informality, platform work raises critical questions for evaluation around evidence, accountability, and trust in AI-driven systems.
While platform work is often framed as flexible and inclusive, particularly for women navigating mobility and care constraints, it simultaneously embeds opaque forms of algorithmic control that intensify surveillance and limit worker autonomy. These systems structure their work in ways that are not easily visible or contestable, creating new asymmetries of information and power. For women, these dynamics intersect with existing structural inequalities, shaping differentiated experiences of access, earnings stability, and agency.
This presentation situates women’s platform work within the broader theme of evidence and trust in the age of AI, examining how algorithmic management challenges conventional approaches to understanding labour outcomes. It highlights the need for evaluation frameworks that can capture hidden forms of control, incorporate lived experiences, and critically engage with digital systems as sites of governance. By foregrounding gendered experiences, the presentation contributes to ongoing conversations on how evidence can better inform equitable policy responses and strengthen trust in emerging labour regimes.
While platform work is often framed as flexible and inclusive, particularly for women navigating mobility and care constraints, it simultaneously embeds opaque forms of algorithmic control that intensify surveillance and limit worker autonomy. These systems structure their work in ways that are not easily visible or contestable, creating new asymmetries of information and power. For women, these dynamics intersect with existing structural inequalities, shaping differentiated experiences of access, earnings stability, and agency.
This presentation situates women’s platform work within the broader theme of evidence and trust in the age of AI, examining how algorithmic management challenges conventional approaches to understanding labour outcomes. It highlights the need for evaluation frameworks that can capture hidden forms of control, incorporate lived experiences, and critically engage with digital systems as sites of governance. By foregrounding gendered experiences, the presentation contributes to ongoing conversations on how evidence can better inform equitable policy responses and strengthen trust in emerging labour regimes.
Speakers
| Nome | Título | Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Bidisha Mondal | Senior Research Fellow | Bidisha Mondal is an economist focusing on socio-economic inequalities, gender gaps, and labour market discrimination in India. She holds a PhD from JNU and has worked with NIPFP. Her research is published in peer-reviewed journals and informs policy on inequality and social justice. |
| Prakriti Sharma | Research Manager | Prakriti Sharma is a mixed-methods researcher with experience across the full research cycle, from data collection to analysis and reporting. At IWWAGE, she supports diverse projects with a practice-oriented approach. She holds a postgraduate degree in Sustainable Development Practice from TERI SAS. |
Moderators
| Nome | Título | Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Sruthi Kutty | Senior Policy Manager | Sruthi works at the intersection of policy research, government engagement, and feminist advocacy. Her interests include feminist economics, women’s entrepreneurship, and gender-responsive policy. She has worked with UN Women and holds degrees in engineering, public policy, and communications. |