The complaint of Chinese Labor Bulletin: Despite constituting a good percentage of the workforce, delivery women in China are dismissed or rated negatively for the simple fact of being women. The starting salary is usually lower. Several local unions intervened, but there were no negotiations on the platform.
Beijing () – With the employment crisis in China in recent years, more and more women have joined the “gig economy“, which is characterized by consisting of commissioned jobs, often without protection, in contrast to stable and permanent positions. However, the drivers, delivery girls and riders Chinese women, despite making up 20% of the workforce in this sector according to some estimates, suffer much more discrimination than men: partly for cultural reasons and partly because of the algorithms of the platforms that manage these activities.
This is how a report published these days by the Chinese Labor Bulletin. Also in China, the gig economy has created millions of jobs: already in 2017 it was a growing trend, but the living conditions related to the pandemic and the layoffs that followed prompted hundreds of people to leave the manufacturing industry and the service sector to work on the platforms home delivery, which in 2021 had a total of 84 million employees in China.
The percentages of women employed in the gig economy they grew considerably between 2020 and 2022: in Beijing alone, the proportion of women in deliveries was 9% in 2020 and rose to 16% the following year. The Chinese company T3 claimed that in March this year there were 50,000 women working as drivers, an increase of 32,000 compared to the same period in 2022.
However, the fact that women work in activities considered “non-traditional” exposes them to stigmatization and discriminatory comments: users of the platforms often leave reviews asking, for example, “Why can’t a girl find a job easier?”, that is, more suitable for women.
The female drivers denounced in a study that they often received low ratings, negative comments and, in some cases, the cancellation of the trip due to the stereotype that women do not know how to drive. The grades are not only offensive, but also have an impact on your salary.
In addition, since they also have to take care of the family, women state that they cannot work as many hours as men. In the end, fewer deliveries equal less salary, but often the starting salary is also unequal: according to research by Sanlian Lifeweek, about 44% of delivery women charge less than 5 yuan per order, while only 25% of men receive such a low salary. Only 20% of women charge 10 yuan each way, compared to 30% of men. This wage inequality is materialized in that more than 60% of women earn less than 5,000 yuan a month (660 euros), while 70% of men earn more.
All this despite the fact that women face much more inconvenience while working. It’s just a lot harder to find a bathroom, so several drivers reported that they drink less so they don’t have to take long breaks. Drivers, for their safety, are also often forced to avoid isolated and remote areas, especially at night, thus giving up the higher income that the platforms provide for these deliveries.
Despite the various regulations established, no significant improvement was recorded. Several local unions launched a series of activities to support the workers (offering products, rest stops, health and counseling services), but negotiations with the platforms have not yet started to review the algorithm system and include more protections for the female share.
