Proceedings of The 6th Global Conference on Women’s Studies
Year: 2024
DOI:
[PDF]
Digital Companionship in the Gig Economy: Gender Dynamics and Resistance Strategies in China’s Game Companion Industry
Xin Li
ABSTRACT:
In the context of China’s rapidly expanding gig economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study delves into the “Peiwan” or game companion industry, revealing how it reflects and amplifies gendered economic disparities within a patriarchal society. This industry, predominantly featuring female workers catering to a male clientele, becomes a microcosm for examining broader issues of gender inequality, sexual harassment, and exploitation under a male-dominated hierarchy. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 female game companions, the research explores their adaptive strategies and forms of resistance against systemic inequalities and exploitation. The findings illuminate a spectrum of responses, from compliance with male preferences through self-packaging to collective actions like forming unions to bypass platform constraints. This study highlights the complex interplay of gender, labor, and platform economics, emphasizing the constrained resistance of female workers within a digital environment that both facilitates and limits their agency. It underscores the critical need for examining the socio-economic contexts that shape gender relations in emerging digital economies.
keywords: gig economy, female labor, Chinese context, female game companions, platform