Centering the agency of women in Thailand’s platform-based care economy

This project explores the issues of women’s precarious work and other gender-related issues in the digital platform-based care economy in Thailand. The objective is to improve conditions for women working on digital platforms, allowing them to benefit equally from the rise of the platform economy and contribute to an inclusive future of work. The project will develop an understanding of the perspectives of workers and platform owners in three major care areas that are being transformed by technology: homecare workers (medical, elderly, and children), domestic workers, and massage therapists.

The project will document the future of digitally mediated care service; the gender policies, attitudes, and employment practices of major platforms; and workers' situations in terms of labour and women's rights, market barriers, and the ability to determine their workplace, time, and pay. It aims to highlight women's voices regarding both the positive and negative aspects of platform-based work and strengthen their decision-making power in determining employment and working conditions. This will raise awareness of the unique impacts of the gig economy on flexibility, access, and autonomy for informal women workers in Thailand. The project will also include a set of recommendations on gender-responsive policies and collaborative empowerment programs for stakeholders, including the development of a worker-led care platform.