“Platformization” beyond the Point of Production

Abstract

Outside of the literature focusing on the platformization of specific “informal” feminized and racialized sectors, especially care and domestic work, in which reproductive labor has been traditionally carried out, there is a dearth of research on platforms from long-term and intersectional perspectives that go beyond the mere male/female balance. This essay, based on ongoing research and founded on a series of interviews with ride-hailing and food-delivery platform workers in London and Paris, explores the impact of digi-talization in two male-dominated sectors. It shows how reproductive labor weighs on the lives of platform workers, determining their tactics, strategies, and working patterns.