{"ID":2884262,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.06778","arxiv_id":"2508.06778","title":"Gender and Careers in Platform-Mediated Work: A Longitudinal Study of Online Freelancers","abstract":"We advance gender-inclusive research within the CSCW field by investigating the long-term gendered experiences of online freelancers on digital labor platforms. The prevalence of gender-based inequalities has attracted significant attention within the CSCW community. Yet, insights remain limited on how these inequalities shape workers' long-term experiences on digital labor platforms. Through a five-year longitudinal study of 105 freelancers on Upwork, we reveal persistent gender disparities that influence workers' long-term work and career trajectories, raising concerns about the sustainability of platform-mediated work. We advance the ongoing dialogue on gender inclusivity in the community by introducing the concepts of career disempowerment and platform-mediated motherhood penalty and by offering research and design implications for CSCW to foster more sustainable, equitable platform work environments for all genders.","short_abstract":"We advance gender-inclusive research within the CSCW field by investigating the long-term gendered experiences of online freelancers on digital labor platforms. The prevalence of gender-based inequalities has attracted significant attention within the CSCW community. Yet, insights remain limited on how these inequaliti...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.06778","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.06778v1","authors":"[\"Pyeonghwa Kim\",\"Steve Sawyer\",\"Michael Dunn\"]","published":"2025-08-09T02:06:40Z","proceeding":"cs.HC","tasks":"[\"cs.HC\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}