S ingl, Isabella
A icle
A solu ion o whom? Digi al wo k pla o ms and he c isis
o social ep oduc ion
WZB-Mi eilungen: Qua alshe ü Sozial o schung
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: S ingl, Isabella (2023) : A solu ion o whom? Digi al wo k pla o ms and he
c isis o social ep oduc ion, WZB-Mi eilungen: Qua alshe ü Sozial o schung, ISSN 2943-6613,
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O iginally published June 15 h, 2023 in h ps://www.wzb.eu/en/a icle/a-solu ion-
o whom
A solu ion o whom?
Digi al wo k pla o ms and he c isis o social ep oduc ion
By Isabella S ingl
Among o he hings, he so-called c isis o social ep oduc ion e e s o he ac
ha many households ha e less and less ime and ene gy a ailable o housewo k
and ca e wo k. Digi al wo k pla o ms ha o e access o inexpensi e and lexible
deli e y, cleaning, o ca e se ices in jus a ew clicks seem o p o ide a solu ion.
Bu how does he pla o m model a ec he e e yday li es o hose who elie e
o he s o hese asks? Isabella S ingl in es iga es his ques ion based on he
expe iences o pla o m wo ke s in he cleaning and ca e sec o in Be lin and
Zu ich.
Who cleans he showe , who cooks dinne , who helps he kids wi h hei homewo k,
who a ends he neighbo hood mee ing? All hese ques ions e e o ac i i ies o social
ep oduc ion, which, b oadly speaking, ensu es he daily and gene a ional enewal o
human li e. This concep o social ep oduc ion o igina ed among eminis Ma xis s in
he second wa e o eminism. They c i icized ha mains eam economic analyses
excluded all hose ac i i ies ha lie ou side he immedia e p oduc ion p ocess, e en
hough hey play an essen ial ole in he “ enewal o he wo k o ce.” This highligh ed
he impo ance o housewo k and ca e wo k, which e en oday is mos ly unde paid o
unpaid and disp opo iona ely pe o med by women, o he unc ioning o he
capi alis sys em.
Feminis esea ch has o some ime iden i ied a c isis o social ep oduc ion. I is
e iden , o example, in he ac ha mo e and mo e people no longe ha e enough ime
and ene gy o housewo k and ca e wo k. The c isis o social ep oduc ion is a ibu ed,
among o he hings, o he e osion o he “b eadwinne model” and he g owing labo
o ce pa icipa ion o women since he 1970s. Because mo e and mo e women a e
wo king, less unpaid wo k is a ailable in he home and he communi y. This si ua ion is
u he exace ba ed by he disman ling and ( e-)p i a iza ion o public se ices in he
ields o heal h, ca e, child ea ing, and educa ion, as well as a end owa d mo e
lexible and in ensi ied wo king hou s. Wi h eal wages alling and he cos o li ing
ising, ew can a o d o ou sou ce ac i i ies o social ep oduc ion o paid hi d pa ies.
Digi al pla o ms such as Lie e ando, Go illas, Helpling, o Be eu .de seem o o e a
solu ion: They enable use s o o de g oce y deli e ies, o book cleane s, o o use ca e
se ices o hei child en, he elde ly, and pe s in jus a ew clicks ia a websi e o app.
The idea is o enable cus ome s o ou sou ce socially ep oduc i e ac i i ies in a lexible
and cos -e ec i e manne . Fo he wo ke s, he pla o ms seem o o e an easily
accessible, o en addi ional income oppo uni y wi h many eedoms. Bu how do he
p omises o he so-called pla o m economy hold up in eali y? This is wha I ha e been
explo ing in my cu en esea ch – in coope a ion wi h my colleague Ma isol Kelle
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om he Uni e si y o Zu ich – based on he li ed expe iences o pla o m wo ke s in
Be lin and Zu ich.
The condi ions unde which socially ep oduc i e labo is pe o med, whe he paid o
unpaid, a e an impo an dimension o he pos ula ed c isis. Toge he wi h Ma isol
Kelle , I he e o e in es iga e he e ec s o pla o m wo k and he powe imbalances
inhe en in he pla o m model on wo ke s’ e e yday li es. Quali a i e in e iews wi h
pla o m wo ke s om he cleaning and ca e sec o in Be lin and an au oe hnog aphy
by Ma isol Kelle in Zu ich se e as ou empi ical basis. The esea ch app oach o
au oe hnog aphy aims o unde s and a phenomenon om he esea che s’ pe sonal
expe iences. Following his app oach, Ma isol Kelle he sel wo ked as a cleane and in
o he oles o a ious pla o ms in Zu ich o se e al mon hs, p oducing a sys ema ic
documen a ion and analysis o he daily wo k ou ine as a pla o m wo ke .
Pla o m wo ke s in he cleaning and ca e sec o a e usually sel -employed. Howe e ,
he pla o ms de e mine which ac i i ies associa ed wi h pla o m wo k a e de ined as
paid wo k. In he case o cleaning, o example, only he wo o h ee hou s ha
wo ke s usually spend in he clien s’ home a e conside ed paid wo k. In ou analysis,
we ollow eminis pe spec i es ha call o a b oade unde s anding o wo k and look
beyond he ac i i ies classi ied as di ec ly p oduc i e. To his end, we examine he
in e play be ween paid pla o m wo k and he ac i i ies ha a e di ec ly ela ed o his
wo k bu no paid in he pla o m model, as well as o he ac i i ies om he ealm o
social ep oduc ion.
Unpaid ac i i ies in he pla o m model include, o example, he ime ha wo ke s
need o commu e o and be ween indi idual jobs. Fo his eason, many esponden s in
ou s udy e e o hese phases o he wo kday as “dead ime.” The in e iews show ha
newcome s o pla o m wo k o en do no dis inguish be ween jobs ha a e a away
and jobs ha a e close o hei p e ious wo k loca ion o hei home. To hem, i is
much mo e impo an o accep as many jobs as possible o collec ini ial posi i e
cus ome e iews on he pla o ms. Posi i e eedback allows wo ke s o aise hei sel -
de e mined hou ly a e in hei p o ile and p omises a be e choice o jobs mo ing
o wa d. Ha ing o di ide hei wo king day in o mul iple uni s o paid and unpaid
wo k leads o ex emely long wo king hou s and o ces wo ke s o be highly mobile.
Especially esponden s who ecei e hei main income om pla o m wo k ind his
ex emely exhaus ing.
When o ake b eaks is up o he wo ke s o decide in he pla o m model. They o en
ake place in public be ween wo jobs, on he way o he nex job, o , as Ma isol Kelle ’s
au oe hnog aphy shows, e en in clien s’ homes. This is possible, o example, when a
job is comple ed as e han planned and when he clien is no a home, lea ing he
wo kplace o be used o a momen o elaxa ion. This means ha b eaks in wo ke s’
e e yday ou ine usually occu ela i ely spon aneously and a e he e o e ha d o align
wi h he hy hms o iends, amily membe s, o oomma es. As a esul , many
esponden s eel isola ed – a eeling also ein o ced by he lack o con ac wi h
cowo ke s. Unlike wo ke s in o he ypes o pla o m wo k, wo ke s in he cleaning and
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ca e sec o usually don’ ha e a headqua e whe e hey can mee co-wo ke s, exchange
ideas and expe iences, and elax oge he .
The e a e nume ous o he ac i i ies ha pla o ms conside unpaid wo k, e en hough
paid pla o m wo k would be impossible wi hou hem: c ea ing and upda ing one’s
online p o ile, con inuously applying o indi idual jobs, and esponding o and
coo dina ing job o e s and cus ome inqui ies. Responden s say hey do no ha e ixed
imes and places o pe o m hese unpaid ac i i ies. Ins ead, hey a e ac i e on he
pla o ms se en days a week, o en desc ibing hei ela ionship wi h he app as
addic i e.
Pla o m wo k hus ex ends o spaces and imes ha a e eally o elaxa ion and
eco e y. Ma isol Kelle ’s au oe hnog aphic da a o e imp essi e e idence o his:
using communica ion ools such as exp ess messages, he apps kep in ading he home
ia lap op and sma phone, wi h messages popping up in he li ing oom o bed oom
e en a nigh o on weekends. Ma isol Kelle says she usually esponded igh away, o
ea o missing a good job oppo uni y, bu also because she was unawa e o he
consequences o esponding o messages oo la e. He p edominan eeling was ha he
apps demanded he cons an a en ion. The lines be ween wo k, home, and leisu e ime
we e blu ing.
By c ea ing in o ma ion asymme ies, e using o gua an ee paid wo k, and de ining
many ac i i ies as non-wo k, pla o ms p oduce wo ke s who a e cons an ly a ailable
and may hence be accessed and booked by clien s whene e hey need hem. The
p essu e o be “always on” and he dissolu ion o spa ial and empo al bounda ies in he
wo king day esul in a lack o ec ea ion and social in e ac ions on he wo ke s’ pa ,
in o he wo ds, a lack o social ep oduc ion. This shows ha digi ally media ed wo k,
in i s cu en dominan o m, is no an adequa e solu ion when i comes o he (paid)
p o ision o socially ep oduc i e wo k. Ra he , i ein o ces he one-sided shi o
socially ep oduc i e c ises om cus ome s o wo ke s. Howe e , he e is li le
e idence o da e on whe he , and i so o whom, he si ua ion ac ually imp o es in he
households ha use pla o ms o ou sou ce hese ac i i ies.
Likewise, digi al wo k pla o ms ail o imp o e he low social s a us o socially
ep oduc i e wo k. On he con a y, ac i i ies o social ep oduc ion a e u he
de alued as useless pu sui s o ime, some hing o ge id o in a ew clicks wi hou
lea ning much abou he wo king condi ions in he pla o m model. Agains his
backd op, i is wo h conside ing p ojec s ha seek o imp o e he u u e o housewo k
and ca e wo k h ough al e na i e o ms o pla o miza ion. Pla o m coope a i es,
whe e wo ke s hemsel es own he pla o m and manage i independen ly, a e one
example.
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This a icle is based in pa on an a icle I co-au ho ed wi h Ma isol Kelle o he
Uni e si y o Zu ich. The a icle is scheduled o publica ion in 2024 by Sp inge Na u e
unde he i le “Mach olle Rhy hmen: Zum Ein luss digi ale
A bei s e mi lungspla o men au die Zei -Räume de Re/P oduk ion” in he edi ed
olume “Geog aphien de A bei (Geog aphies o Wo k).”
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und die K ise de sozialen Rep oduk ion. Müns e : Wes älisches Damp boo 2021, S.
148-167.
Kelle , Ma isol: „‚When Clean Angels Calls, I un‘: Wo king Condi ions o a Gigi ied
Ca eWo ke “. In: Anke S ü e /Sybille Bau iedl (Hg.): Pla o miza ion o U ban Li e.
Towa ds a
Technocapi alis T ans o ma ion o Eu opean Ci ies. Biele eld: ansc ip 2022, S. 103-
118. DOI: 10.14361/9783839459645-009
Sha ma, Sa ah: „Task Rabbi : The Gig Economy and Finding Time o Ca e Less“. In:
Je emy Wade Mo is/Sa ah Mu ay (Hg.): Appi ied: Cul u e in he Age o Apps. Ann
A bo : Uni e si y o Michigan P ess 2018, S. 63-71.
Wallis, Mi a: „Digi al Labou and Social Rep oduc ion – C owdwo k in Ge many
and Romania“. In: sphe es: Jou nal o Digi al Cul u es 2021, H. 6, S. 1-14. DOI:
10.25969/media ep/18038
Winke , Gab iele: „Zu K ise soziale Rep oduk ion“. In: Hans Baumann/I is
Bischel/Michael Gempe le/Ul ike Knobloch/Bea Ringge /Holge Scha z (Hg.): Ca e s a
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15/6/2023
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