Women's participation triples in gig economy from 2021, pandemic fueled the movement

(Representative Image: Pixabay)

She’s got the gig.  A recent report released by Taskmo, a platform that connects temp workers with companies looking for freelancers, said that women’s participation in the semi-formal job market has tripled in 2022 compared to 2021.

Women are increasingly a part of the country’s short-term/freelance job economy, empowered by the changes wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic that now puts the focus on flexibility of job timings, no full-time commitments and lower barriers to entry, making it easier for women to find the right work-life balance compared to conventional full time jobs.

“The lockdown personally enhanced my attempts to grow my freelance services worldwide. The digital switch created a pool of opportunities for me, and I was no longer bound by my past unfulfilling job,” Ainie Rizvi, a freelance video producer, told Moneycontrol.

“Women’s participation in the gig economy has increased by 300 percent in comparison to last year,” the Taskmo report said.

“This means more employment but also more exposure for women, which will lead to them being skilled enough to bag a conventional job in their choice of field,” said Srishti Pandey, a freelance digital content creator, speaking for her cohort of women workers.

For many, the reason to opt for work in the gig economy was the exhaustion from working regular jobs.

“I worked as a full time writer for less than a month. Within a short period, I felt stressed and burnt out. But now I am working for gigs, things are flexible and less stressful, and my productivity has increased. I prefer a flexible schedule,” said Moumita Roy, a freelance content writer.

That leeway is the driving force behind the move to non-conventional jobs. “Flexibility and freedom to choose is the major motivation to join the gig economy,” said Prashant Janadri, Taskmo co-founder.

The gig economy is expected to see a manifold expansion in the coming years. According to a NITI Aayog report released earlier this year, the Indian gig workforce is expected to jump nearly 200 percent to 23.5 million workers by 2029-30.

However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. Gig work comes with uncertainty and an endless cycle of chasing new clients, along with hunting for one new assignment after another.

On the other hand, a ‘regular’ job can often be overwhelming. “Sometimes I had as many as eight projects on my plate at the same time, and it got cumbersome to manage,” said Rizvi. She rationalised that if she was putting in so many extra hours despite the promised 9-to-5 work stint, she may as well work 24 hours for herself.

“The gig economy is here to stay” because of the independence it offers, Rizvi said.

“I think in the future people will give this freedom preference. They will choose gigs over conventional jobs,” Roy added.

“Freelance or gigs are more liberating. You choose to work on your own terms, time and pace... On social media, anyone with the right skills and resources can bag a gig and I think that’s the best part,” Pandey said.