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5 - Exploring Inequalities in Platform-Based Legal Work

from Part II - Digital Platforms and the New World of Work

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2020

By
Debra Howcroft ,
Clare Mumford  and
Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn
Edited by
Jeremy Aroles ,
François-Xavier de Vaujany  and
Karen Dale
Jeremy Aroles
Affiliation:
Durham University
François-Xavier de Vaujany
Affiliation:
Université Paris-Dauphine
Karen Dale
Affiliation:
Lancaster University
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Summary

The aim of this chapter is to examine the neglected area of platform work and inequalities. Drawing on Acker’s theoretical frame of inequality regimes, this study investigates whether platform work reproduces and/or augments inequalities. Extant research on platforms has focused predominantly on lesser-skilled work based on repetitive transactions; in contrast, we explore experiences of higher-skilled work, specifically the provision of legal services. A qualitative approach was adopted based on participants using the People Per Hour (PPH) platform, which offers high-skilled professional services targeted at the small-business market. The study is situated in the context of structural disadvantages in the legal profession. Our findings show that persistent inequalities within the offline legal profession are not simply mirrored, but amplified in platform work, contesting any optimistic claims that platform work has the potential to act as a leveller.

Keywords

Platformsgig economyinequalitiesgenderlegal work
Type
Chapter
Information
Experiencing the New World of Work , pp. 109 - 135
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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