Feminist research on platform economies: a conversation on current perspectives and future challenges

This article presents an edited transcript of a roundtable discussion originally held at the conference Feminist Perspectives on the Platformisation of Care Work in European Cities at the Europa-Universität Flensburg in 2025, in which the panellists discuss the ways in which a feminist perspective might help to better understand digital platform labour in Europe, current developments in feminist theorising on platform labour and new concerns arising for research and practice. The point of departure is the question of how a feminist perspective informs each scholar's research on platform labour. It continues by considering the feminised sectors of platform labour, intersectional inequalities and gendered labour market dynamics, while also being attentive to the lens of social reproduction and the transversal links between waged and unwaged labour within and outside of the household. To conclude, participants address possibilities for transforming exploitative practices and reflect on directions for future research.