Gendered Parenthood and Platform Work Across European Welfare Regimes

ABSTRACT

Digital platform labour has been growing and meanwhile successfully established in many parts of the world. Yet participation in platform work not only varies markedly across countries but also by individual‐level factors such as gender and parenthood. This paper explains variation in mothers' and fathers' participation in platform work by linking gender and parenthood to welfare regime settings. Using pooled COLLEEM survey data (2017–2018) for Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the UK, I estimate linear probability models of monthly platform work participation. Parenthood is associated with higher platform work participation in all five countries, but the increase is smallest in Germany and Sweden and largest in Spain, the UK, and moderately in Italy. Gender patterns vary by regime: mothers' participation is more responsive to parental‐support institutions than fathers', while fathers' parenthood effects are especially pronounced in the UK and Spain. Overall, platform work seems to function as an adaptive strategy shaped by welfare regime settings and gendered care arrangements.