Hidden Transcript and Alternative Resistance of Women Gig Workers in Indonesia

The gig economy was once celebrated for offering flexibility that could benefit women. Yet, research shows that women are proportionally under-represented in the gig economy. Women gig workers also tend to be disproportionately discriminated against, especially in male-dominated sectors like ride-hailing, food delivery, or courier services. As part of the more extensive research on the gendered working experience of female gig workers in Indonesia, this paper will focus on the resistance action of female gig workers in the fight against their precarious working conditions.

While the gig economy’s model was once predicted to render workers’ organisation and resistance impossible, recent studies have highlighted the rise of platform workers’ protests across the globe. This is also happening in Indonesia, with the most visible type of resistance being community-based organising, but also wildcat strikes, protests, and even recently, forming a formal labour union. The question is, where are women gig workers in all this collective action and resistance?

This study draws from interviews with female gig workers in Indonesia. It finds that female gig workers are more reluctant to be involved in the public acts of resistance conventionally done by male gig workers, such as protests, demonstrations, or wildcat strikes, due to the structural constraints they face. However, this does not mean they are not performing any acts of resistance, yet they conducted what Scott (1990) categorises as a “hidden transcript” of everyday resistance. This act ranges from asking customers to book services outside platforms, gaming the platforms, and forming female-only communities.