Domestic work and platformisation in India and South Africa: A look at enablers and barriers

Abstract

Globally, the domestic work sector is both highly informal and highly feminised. This article will compile learnings from the domestic work sector in two countries of the Global South — India and South Africa — concerning the emerging digital economy and its effects on workers. To do so, it will explore the rise of the platform economy in the context of a digital gender divide and highlight initiatives from India and South Africa seeking to improve access to the opportunities offered by digital platforms as well as empowering platform workers through the development of platform cooperatives.