This article examines how workers describe their motivations for participation in the platform-based gig economy, particularly as rideshare and delivery drivers. I investigate how these accounts vary by socioeconomic class, gender, and race. Based on interviews conducted as part of the American Voices Project, I find that workers’ accounts differ based on income and gender. Higher earners tend to downplay financial needs and describe platform work as a path to explore their larger community, whereas lower earners focus on financial needs and benefits. Additionally, among lower earners, explanations differed by gender. Interestingly, I did not find any differences based on race. I conclude by investigating why workers from different social groups might offer varying accounts.
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- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2024.10.4.09
- ISBN
- 2377-8253 2377-8261
- Pages
- 16
- Published in
- United States of America
- Rights
- © 2024 Russell Sage Foundation. Jackson, Brandon A. 2024. “Motivated by Money? Class, Gender, Race, and Workers’ Accounts of Platform-Based Gig Work Participation.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 10(4): 191–206. https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2024.10.4.09. I would like to thank the interviewers who worked on the American Voices Project and those respondents who shared their time and stories. I would also like to thank Brittany N. Hearne, Kevin Stainback, Jeremy Reynolds, Alex Montgomery, Fallon Caruth, and the anonymous reviewers who offered their time and insight. Direct correspondence to: Brandon A. Jackson, at brjackson@jjay.cuny.edu, John Jay College, CUNY, Department of Sociology, 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019, United States.