The 3 a.m. Phone Call: A Gendered Perspective on the Working Conditions of Kenyan Online Writers

Summary

Phone surveys of Kenyan online platform workers in 2018 and 2023 show that men outnumber women by about four to one. Two factors explain the gap: the low expectations men hold of women's ability to deliver, and the short-notice night work with tight deadlines that the platforms demand. This 'manager-controlled flexibility' is hard to meet for women who also carry household and care work. The pattern differs by subsector: academic writing, where the demands are highest, has fewer women than transcription.

Citation

Melia, E., Wahu, E. M., Gichuku, A., Murimi, P., & Kässi, O. (2023). The 3 a.m. phone call: A gendered perspective on the working conditions of Kenyan online writers (GIGA Working Paper No. 330). German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA).

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Topics

online work · Kenya · platform work · working conditions