Autonomia e controle: percepções de trabalhadoras da beleza sobre o trabalho plataformizado

Abstract

This research sought to understand and analyze the perceptions of beauty workers that provide services through digital platforms regarding their autonomy at work and the forms of control to which they are subjected. Given the growing presence of digital platforms in the world of work and the increase in studies in Sociology that deal with this topic, our research sought to analyze how platformization is established in an occupation that is already, traditionally, feminine and precarious, and what is the workers perception of these work dynamics – with a special focus on aspects of autonomy and control. Thus, we seek to contribute to a greater understanding of how the issue of gender is explored within platformization. The research was mainly conducted through semi-structured interviews with manicurists who work on the main Brazilian beauty delivery app. At the same time, we also collected data from the company's social networks and media. Among our results, we can highlight that manicurists perceive greater autonomy in service via app, compared to the work in beauty salons (but less, compared to private home service). This perception is mainly due to the flexibility of working hours provided by the platform, which represent, for several of our interviewees, the possibility of reconciling paid work with domestic and care work.