Articles | Volume 80, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-305-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-305-2025
Standard article
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08 Oct 2025
Standard article |  | 08 Oct 2025

Hidden platform subsidies: the role of social networks in concealing (too) low income on care work platforms

Khaoula Ettarfi and Karin Schwiter
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Latest update: 08 Oct 2025
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Short summary
This paper draws on 24 interviews with workers who provide care services mediated through digital platforms in Geneva. The findings demonstrate that working via care work platforms is financially unsustainable. The analysis highlights the omnipresence of what we call “platform subsidies”: financial support provided by family or friends to sustain workers' income. The paper criticizes these payments for subsidizing platforms and customers who profit from care as a low-cost service.
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