Freelance Workers Are More Vulnerable, And More Susceptible to Sexual Harassment

As the number of stories shared under the #MeToo hashtag grew, it was impossible to overlook that in many workplaces it was their very design that enabled sexual harassment and all kinds of discrimination. Their more vulnerable employees were left at the mercy of powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. One of the reasons those men could so easily get away with it was that the victims' positions were often too precarious to report them. How could an actor at the beginning of her career, an intern, a filming crew assistant, or a driver, report her world-famous boss without risking her job and reputation?

The gig economy leaves many of its freelance workers just as vulnerable as Harvey Weinstein's assistants: they are replaceable, often desperate for money, and unaccounted for. They lack a place to report harassment (there are no HR departments in online marketplaces), and a negative review or a low rating might cause some serious problems.

The author of this article suggests a small step forward: online marketplaces should run surveys among their users to assess the spread of discriminatory practices. While this indeed is an important step, one would hope that it eventually leads to a change in labor laws and real protection for the gig workers.