WOMAN IN MICROWORK: BETWEEN PRODUCTIVE AND REPRODUCTIVE LABOR OR MAINTAINING THE FEMININE SOCIAL POSITION UNDER CAPITALISM?

Abstract

The aim of this article is to discuss the work of brazilian women on microwork platforms, seeking to understand the possible influence of reproductive labor on women's participation in microwork. To do this, we conducted a theoretical-empirical study based on three microwork platforms: Appen, Telus, and Ganhar nas redes. In the empirical part of this study, we conducted exploratory qualitative research through participant observation of 7 groups of workers on different social networks, in-depth interviews with 7 workers (5 women and 2 men) from the three digital platforms, and monitoring the companies' websites. We have concluded that brazilian women, that we have contacted so far, do not enter microwork platforms due to reproductive labor, but rather because of the country's living conditions, unemployment and low wages. Despite this, we observed that microwork and reproductive labor are intertwined in women's experiences, leading women to perform more domestic work in their homes. In this way, we begin to understand that microwork platforms could be a way for capital to maintain women in a feminine social position.