Digital Labour Platforms and Women's Political Empowerment: A Systematic Review Comparing South Asia and Africa

Abstract

The proliferation of digital labour platforms across the Global South has generated substantial scholarly attention regarding women's economic participation; however, the relationship between platform work and political empowerment remains inadequately theorised. This systematic review synthesises 30+ studies (2015–2025) examining how women's platform work relates to political empowerment in South Asia and Africa. Employing Kabeer's empowerment framework alongside feminist political economy perspectives, three principal findings emerge. First, platform work provides economic agency but rarely translates automatically into political empowerment. Second, digital technologies simultaneously enable algorithmic control and create spaces for political organising, mediated by digital literacy, collective organising capacity, and institutional frameworks. Third, significant regional variations exist, for example, South Asia demonstrates greater formal representation through quota systems alongside persistent patriarchal barriers, whilst Africa exhibits higher organic mobilisation despite variable institutional support. The findings challenge instrumentalist assumptions about economic participation as a straightforward pathway to political voice, suggesting that transformative empowerment requires simultaneous multi-domain changes alongside collective organising and institutional reform. Policy implications emphasise gender-responsive platform regulation, integrated empowerment interventions, and investment in care infrastructure.

Keywords:

Platform Economy, Digital Labour, Women's Empowerment, Political Participation, Pakistan, South Asia, Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Gender Quotas