Can Women Escape From Precarity in the Gig Economy: Evidence From Labor Market, Labor Process, and Labor Reproduction in China

Using survey data from Chinese gig workers, this study employs OLS regression, mechanism analysis, and instrumental variable methods, supplemented by semi-structured interviews, to explore female gig workers’ precarity in the labor market, labor process, and labor reproduction. Findings reveal heightened precarity in the labor market and reproduction, but not in the labor process, where women achieve work-life balance. Consent-giving is identified as a key mechanism. Heterogeneity analysis shows occupation selection impacts precarity: online doctors experience less labor market precarity, while avoiding online streaming reduces reproduction precarity.