Economic Disempowerment and Workplace Harassment: A Critical Analysis of Female Gig Workers’ Working Conditions in Indonesia

The rise of the gig economy has reshaped global labour markets by offering flexible income opportunities while reinforcing structural precarity, particularly for women workers. This article critically examines the economic and gendered precarity experienced by female ride-hailing drivers in Indonesia, drawing on social reproduction theory and the feminisation of labour framework. Based on original structured interview data from 35 female drivers, the study finds that platform work intensifies economic disempowerment through declining earnings, algorithmic control, and the erosion of income stability. It also reveals the double burden faced by women who combine long working hours with unpaid domestic responsibilities, and documents widespread exposure to workplace harassment in the absence of institutional protections. Rather than enabling economic mobility, the platform economy reproduces existing gendered inequalities under the guise of flexibility and entrepreneurship. The study calls for urgent regulatory interventions to ensure fair wages, protect against gender-based violence, and incorporate care responsibilities into labour protections for digital platform workers.