In Permanent Wave, we go to India and Thailand to talk about all the forms of intimate personal care services that take place in people's homes. Our guests Khawla Zainab from IT for Change (India) and Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn from JELI (Thailand) explain how technology is affecting personal care workers who are already low wage, precarious and exploited. Platforms and clients expect 'emotional labor' from these women but there are big risks of gender-based violence. We discuss how algorithms may actually increase these risks.
Resources:
Khawla's report, Beauty and the Platform Economy