AEA RCT Registry

Trial Information

General Information

Title

The employment of women in the gig economy

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0012198

Initial registration date

September 27, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

October 04, 2023, 4:09 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country

Germany

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Elisa Gerten

Affiliation

LMU Munich

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-01-01

End date

2024-04-30

Keywords

Gender, Labor

Additional Keywords

gig economy, online labour market, temporal flexibility, flexible work arrangements

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

230019EG

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

The gig economy has led to a transformative restructuring of work organization, providing individuals with unprecedented autonomy in shaping their careers. Amidst this evolving online world of work, the exploration of women’s participation in the gig economy has become an indispensable research domain, seeking to comprehend their broader engagement in the labor market. This study aims to delve into the underlying motives that influence women’s choices to opt for the online labor market (OLM) in conjunction with or as an alternative to the traditional labor market (TLM), with a specific focus on the significance women place on temporal flexibility. Particularly, this research seeks to analyze the value of temporal flexibility and the extent to which women are willing to forgo it in favor of higher pay, effectively examining their inclination to exchange short-term benefits for long-term gains. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the factors influencing women’s sustained participation in the labor market, specifically within the realm of the OLM

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Gerten, Elisa. 2023. "The employment of women in the gig economy." AEA RCT Registry. October 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12198-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The gig economy has led to a transformative restructuring of work organization, providing individuals with unprecedented autonomy in shaping their careers. Amidst this evolving online world of work, the exploration of women’s participation in the gig economy has become an indispensable research domain, seeking to comprehend their broader engagement in the labor market. This study aims to delve into the underlying motives that influence women’s choices to opt for the online labor market (OLM) in conjunction with or as an alternative to the traditional labor market (TLM), with a specific focus on the significance women place on temporal flexibility. Particularly, this research seeks to analyze the value of temporal flexibility and the extent to which women are willing to forgo it in favor of higher pay, effectively examining their inclination to exchange short-term benefits for long-term gains. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the factors influencing women’s sustained participation in the labor market, specifically within the realm of the OLM.

Intervention Start Date

2023-09-01

Intervention End Date

2023-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

As we are already aware from a previous survey conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic with female gig workers, temporal flexibility stands out as a significant factor and motivation for why women initiate or sustain their involvement in the gig economy, conditional on their socio-economic characteristics. In our preliminary investigation, we anticipate observing the influence of time allotted and any time constraints outlined in the online task descriptions.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

To address our research questions, we have initiated an online experiment involving female gig workers on a prominent crowdworking platform located in Germany. The online experiment encompasses the design of an information provision experiment to causally estimate the effect of online rates and online temporal flexibility on the choice of online work. Furthermore, we will conduct an online survey to back-up our findings and to gather all required individual information to measure wage disparities between the OLM and the TLM.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Randomized information provision online survey experiment

Randomization Unit

Female gig workers

Was the treatment clustered?

No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

1 online platform
circa. 1'000 female gig workers

Sample size: planned number of observations

circa. 1'000 female gig workers

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

circa. 300 female gig workers control, 350 female gig workers treated with information on gig work, 350 female gig workers treated with alternative information on gig work

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name

University of Cologne

IRB Approval Date

2023-04-27

IRB Approval Number