Leveraging Platforms to Bridge the Gender Divide and Drive Inclusive Growth: Perspectives and Recommendations from India

Abstract

By affording the flexibility to monetize assets when the worker wants, platforms are transforming the twenty-first-century workplace, offering attractive remunerative avenues for women. Even the traditionally male-dominated job of driving is witnessing a heightened participation from women. Based on a mixed methods study involving 700 women within and outside the platform economy, and representatives of over forty organizations, this chapter unpacks the enablers and barriers women experience while participating in the platform economy in India. The chapter focuses on the trade-offs between social production and economic participation, and the access to assets and the opportunity to monetize them, among others. And concludes with the recommendations for the public sector and industry to mainstream women’s participation in India by leveraging digital platforms.