Section Article

Invisible Labour in the Digital Economy: Gender Precarity and Social Protection among Platform Workers in India
Author(s): Dr. Kabir

Abstract
The expansion of the digital economy has transformed labour markets in India by creating new forms of platform-mediated employment in delivery transportation domestic services beauty work online freelancing and other sectors. Although platform work is frequently presented as flexible and entrepreneurial employment it also produces significant forms of economic insecurity algorithmic control occupational risk and limited social protection. These challenges become particularly significant for women whose participation in platform work remains shaped by gender norms care responsibilities safety concerns unequal access to assets and restricted mobility. This study examines the relationship between gender precarity and social protection among platform workers in India using secondary evidence from government reports international organisations and recent academic studies. The study argues that platformisation does not eliminate informal labour but reorganises it through digital technologies. It concludes that effective worker protection requires gender-sensitive social security transparent platform governance collective representation fair remuneration and recognition of platform workers as rights-bearing participants in the contemporary labour market.