25, April 2026

The gig economic women empowerment and legal protection of digital labor markets globalization digital labor and gender justice in India

VOLUME-12; ISSUE-4; APR-2026

Author(s): SNEHA K

Authors Affiliations:

1.Student, School Of Law, Christ (Deemed To Be) University, Bengaluru, India

 

DOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/202604021     |     Paper ID: IJIRMF202604021


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 In different jurisdictions digital platforms have transformed labour markets to create new types of work governed by algorithms. The gig economy in India has rapidly expanded in ride hailing food delivery and home service sectors with women making up a substantial share of it and being willing to work in it as a source of flexible income. However the legislation of platform work is based on the old paradigms of employer employee relationships which implies that social security and maternity benefits as well as the safety of workplaces are not fully accessible to everyone. In this paper it is intend to show how globalization has led to the expansion of digital labour markets and how gender legal protection in India is very inadequate. The present study is a combination of doctrinal and analytical methods that have been used to examine the constitutional guarantees in Articles 14, 15, 16, 21 and 39 of the Constitution of India under the Code on Social Security 2020 and under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. It also juxtaposes the information provided by NITI Aayog the International Labour Organization and the UK, US and Spains comparative experiences. The findings show that gender neutral legislative reforms do not solve the issues of algorithmic discrimination digital exclusion and the structural precariousness of women gig workers.The paper argues that substanative equality entails amongst other things a reform driven approach to legal reclassification focusing on algorithmic accountability and inclusive social security schemes as the means for realizing real empowerment of digital labour markets in India that have been globalized.
In different jurisdictions digital platforms have transformed labour markets to create new types of work governed by algorithms. The gig economy in India has rapidly expanded in ride hailing food delivery and home service sectors with women making up a substantial share of it and being willing to work in it as a source of flexible income. However the legislation of platform work is based on the old paradigms of employer employee relationships which implies that social security and maternity benefits as well as the safety of workplaces are not fully accessible to everyone. In this paper it is intend to show how globalization has led to the expansion of digital labour markets and how gender legal protection in India is very inadequate. The present study is a combination of doctrinal and analytical methods that have been used to examine the constitutional guarantees in Articles 14, 15, 16, 21 and 39 of the Constitution of India under the Code on Social Security 2020 and under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. It also juxtaposes the information provided by NITI Aayog the International Labour Organization and the UK, US and Spains comparative experiences. The findings show that gender neutral legislative reforms do not solve the issues of algorithmic discrimination digital exclusion and the structural precariousness of women gig workers.The paper argues that substanative equality entails amongst other things a reform driven approach to legal reclassification focusing on algorithmic accountability and inclusive social security schemes as the means for realizing real empowerment of digital labour markets in India that have been globalized.

SNEHA K (2026); The gig economic women empowerment and legal protection of digital labor markets globalization digital labor and gender justice in India, International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620, Vol-12, Issue-4, Available on –   https://www.ijirmf.com/

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