Rekha (name changed) is a 38-year-old single mother of two teenagers who is able to see her girls through school because of her gig as a part-time maid in Electronic City. She is one of the growing numbers of workers on demand for IT households.
Around 2000 platform workers are servicing 25 to 40,000 households, doing work as apartment housekeepers, cooks, elder care attendants, nannies / child care; part-time maids. The home-service companies are Snabbit, Urban Company, Pronto, BookMyBai, and Helper4U. For eight hours every day, starting at 6 a.m., gig workers wait in bus stops and on benches around residential societies, in dust, heat, traffic, and rain. The customers are charged Rs 100 per hour, but the workers themselves are paid around Rs. 20K to 35K per month.
As most of the workers are women, there is the added danger of sexual harassment. Deepti (name changed) related an incident where a young woman was assaulted by men in a men’s PG (Paying Guest) unit. When she resisted, she was told, “You are only getting Rs. 100 for one hour of work. If you have sex with us, we will give you 10 times more!” The gig work facility is now banned for all PGs, including women PGs, since women there may have male visitors.
Deepti said that this is a good opportunity for women to earn some money, especially when the job market is so tough.
Chandrika Inturi
Journalist \ Writer
Around 2000 platform workers are servicing 25 to 40,000 households, doing work as apartment housekeepers, cooks, elder care attendants, nannies / child care; part-time maids. The home-service companies are Snabbit, Urban Company, Pronto, BookMyBai, and Helper4U. For eight hours every day, starting at 6 a.m., gig workers wait in bus stops and on benches around residential societies, in dust, heat, traffic, and rain. The customers are charged Rs 100 per hour, but the workers themselves are paid around Rs. 20K to 35K per month.
As most of the workers are women, there is the added danger of sexual harassment. Deepti (name changed) related an incident where a young woman was assaulted by men in a men’s PG (Paying Guest) unit. When she resisted, she was told, “You are only getting Rs. 100 for one hour of work. If you have sex with us, we will give you 10 times more!” The gig work facility is now banned for all PGs, including women PGs, since women there may have male visitors.
Deepti said that this is a good opportunity for women to earn some money, especially when the job market is so tough.
Chandrika Inturi
Journalist \ Writer
