The food delivery industry and its lack of care in gender equality: the speculative case of ‘GiGi’

This research takes a speculative design-led approach to increase care and safety for the women working in the 'Gig Economy', specifically the food delivery industry.Past research analysing the employment conditions of the Gig Economy have identified unsafe practices that particularly affect female food delivery drivers operating in large cities.Among others, women have no safe access to wash areas, or no possibility to choose safer routes.More recent research put forward regulations or worker unionisation as possible solutions to address some of these problems.Our strategy, based on 'Research through Design' (RtD), envisions the increase of inclusivity, safety, and care by designing a platform -'GiGi' (the author's word game of 'Gig Economy Gigs') -that empowers women through training and professional development.With 'GiGi' we combined technology, service design and business to explore how design practices could increase the level of care for women by developing a 'caring transformation' for the food Gig Economy; through the 'GiGi' physical and digital community hub (self-) employed women can reimagine and redesign their own working conditions beyond its current conditions and limitations.We report on our methods to discuss what implementation a prototype should require to effectively design care through participatory co-creation practices.