This think piece was written by Laura Mann as part of our ‘Re-wiring India's Digitalising Economy for Women's Rights and Well-being’ project, supported by the European Union and FES.
Abstract
This think piece moves away from the visible containers of ‘tech’ and ‘gender’ to think more broadly about how technology firms have helped gender the division of labour. It argues that they have helped align the global economy with neo-classical models, facilitating a feminisation of labour to occur and bringing about limited economic gains for women workers in low- and middle-income countries. Yet such gains are precarious as they have been secured through women’s subordinate positions within society. Furthermore, as digitisation and automation proceed, there are reasons to believe that these opportunities may dwindle further as that alignment grows tighter.