6 - Beyond the Office

Summary

Like clerical work much of data work is skilled but undervalued, while other parts of data work are standardized, repetitive, and organized via platforms. Feminist HCI emphasizes the skills and care that are needed to create meaningful data. While online platform work is not necessarily women’s work, research suggests that significant gender disparities exist. The chapter presents a number of case studies ranging from outsourced ML (machine learning) data work in Latin America to small-town Indian women AMT or crowdworkers in India. While offering work to women who would otherwise not have access to an independent income, the studies also highlight their vulnerability to pressures arising from work and the demands from family members. The chapter underlines the importance of labour issues connected to modern workplaces – the invisibility of the workers, the precarity of their work situation, the lack of opportunities for learning, and so forth. It points at design issues such as how to support data workers in producing data with care, and how to provide them with opportunities to learn and professionalize their work.