Abstract
Uber as part of the gig economy and digital platform work has gained traction, with studies commending its convenient and accessible transport services and income-earning opportunities. While Uber’s working conditions provide drivers with flexibility and autonomy to set their own work schedules, drivers also operate in risky conditions. This study sociologically investigates the working conditions of Uber drivers, using the precariat theory, to identify and examine any forms of precarious conditions in Uber driving in Johannesburg. Moreover, Uber drivers often spend most of their time driving, in pursuit of financial targets, which may affect their personal and family lives. This study thus also explored the navigation of work-life responsibilities in Uber driving. The spillover and border theories were adopted to examine the experiences of male and female Uber drivers of work-life balance in Uber driving.
This study was guided by a qualitative research methodology, underpinned by the constructivist paradigm and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 30 Uber drivers operating in Johannesburg. Thematic content analysis was utilised to analyse the collected data. The findings highlight various reasons linked to males and females engaging in Uber driving, which included lack of access to job opportunities with or without higher education qualifications, the need to support their families, and the desire for flexible or improved working conditions. This study also theoretically located male and female Uber drivers as part of the precariat that operate in precarious working conditions, characterised by an ambiguous employment relationship and status, lack of work and income security, no access to collective bargaining or representation (instead resorting to informal networks), algorithmic control (ratings), and no protection against violence or attacks. Despite these precarious conditions, this study also acknowledges Uber for providing autonomy by allowing drivers to decide their own working hours, which consequently contributes to higher but fluctuating earnings that range between R20 000 (US$1 131.94) and R40 000 (US$2 263.86)1 per month excluding expenses. Nonetheless, the study noted gendered disparities in working hours; with males working more than eight hours a day, while female Uber drivers worked fewer hours due to safety concerns. This study
1 All rand to dollar conversions in this thesis were calculated using the exchange rate as at 25 October 2024.
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argues that Uber driving constitutes precarious flexibility, which is a term coined in this study to argue that Uber driving consists of flexibility in the form of autonomy, yet it is dominated by precarious working conditions.
Work-life balance in gig economy and digital platform work is under-studied. This study contributes to knowledge on this phenomenon. Utilising the spillover theory, the findings illustrate that male and female Uber drivers theoretically experience negative spillover as Uber driving interferes with their personal and family lives in terms of family commitments such as parenthood, personal relationships, performing responsibilities at home, and emotions. However, it is important to note that male Uber drivers were mostly affected by the spillover of emotions from work (driving) to home, while few females reported this impact. Borrowing from the border theory, this study also theoretically argues that Uber drivers are border crossers, as professional work affects their personal life, and border keepers, as Uber drivers attempt to balance their work-life domains by using psychological and physical borders. Uber drivers also use multiple strategies such as not taking personal calls during Uber driving. This study contributes to the emerging but growing scholarship on Uber drivers’ working conditions, especially theoretically identifying male and female Uber drivers working in precarious conditions. The study also adds to theoretical understanding of precarious conditions and work-life balance in the context of Uber, arguing that Uber’s precarious flexibility (drivers’ long working hours due to Uber’s fluctuating earning model and the desire to make more money) leads to work-life spillover in Uber driving. Lastly, the study contributes to literature on work-life balance debates on gig economy and digital platform work, in the context of Uber driving in Johannesburg, South Africa.