The use of institutionalised and embodied cultural capital in platform-mediated care work

Abstract Cultural capital (CC) is often seen as losing relevance in platform work, where job distribution depends on algorithmic rankings and ratings. This study shows that care platform workers actively engage in cultural labour to leverage their CC and improve their chances of securing jobs. The platform itself creates opportunities for such valorisation, reflecting mutual demands for compatibility in intimate care services. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and a digital walkthrough, this study finds that both institutionalised and embodied CC are mobilised in workers’ profile creation and self-presentation. While educational credentials serve as primary distinguishing features, soft skills and cultural knowledge grant access to better-paid and well-matched jobs. The analysis further examines the platform's ambivalent effects on inequality: Workers marginalised in traditional labour markets but possessing high embodied CC can secure suitable positions and maintain professional self-esteem, whereas low-skilled workers are being displaced from the care and cleaning roles they once dominated.