This series is a collaboration with Rest of World.
A year after mass protests by women against working conditions at Urban Company, a popular Indian home-services app, female gig workers face a tough reality and a deeply uncertain future.
Ten years ago, Urban Company emerged as a beacon of hope for women wanting financial independence on their own terms and on their own time in a country with one of the lowest female workforces in the world.
But over the years, workers say the company has taken away employees’ flexibility and autonomy.
An Urban Company employee told Context that they had to pay the equivalent of two months’ salary just to start developing the app.
Many say the pressure to perform on increasingly demanding algorithms is unbearable.
If a worker receives poor reviews from clients and their score drops, they risk being temporarily blocked from the app, or even permanently blocked if their performance doesn’t improve.
When we reached out, Urban Company said it invests significant funds into onboarding each employee and helps them maintain their reputation by providing feedback and retraining.
The company said employees continue to enjoy flexibility as they are given work by selecting their available hours on the app, women can take time off and are provided with three “emergency passes” in case they miss an appointment.
A company spokesman said the company is working to reduce the number of employees who have to leave the app.
Taking time off work means a loss of income, which can be devastating for many workers who are single mothers or the sole breadwinners for their families.
With little government oversight, women have limited legal recourse.
Many people have to rely on each other to survive.
Whether venting their anger on social media, sharing messages of encouragement, staging protests or rallying support from trade unions, women have found new ways to fight back.
In June, dozens of female workers protested outside Urban Company’s offices in the southern city of Bangalore, protesting the company’s policies, including its appraisal system.
Urban Company said it would not retaliate against workers who peacefully raise concerns, but that it could take legal action if there was any disruptive or physical contact with employees.
Workers say the company is essentially a monopoly in India, and without strikes or government regulation to change that, women will continue to feel trapped on the app.
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Director/Producer: Duy Linh To, Sebastian Twinder
Executive producers: Jacob Templin, Cengiz Yar, Anup Kafle
Reporters: Annie Banerjee and Almas Masood
Associate Producer: Juanita Ceballos
Production Assistant: Devadrita Sur
Additional Photographer: Priyanka Varma
Editors: Amruta Byatnal, Durga M Sengupta, Itika Sharma Punit
Fact checker: Daria Marchenkova
Copy Editor: Mithila Phadke
Designed by: Joan Lee
Motion graphics: Khalif Watt
Data Journalist: Diana Batista
