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Outsourcing Domestic Work in the Crisis of Social Reproduction: Platform-Mediated Cleaning and the Role of Clients
Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Cottbus, Germany.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2693-0156
Malmö University, Faculty of Technology and Society (TS), Department of Computer Science and Media Technology (DVMT).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5423-6428
Department of Education, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8649-2207
Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5272-0670
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2026 (English)In: New technology, work and employment, ISSN 0268-1072, E-ISSN 1468-005X, Vol. 41, no 2, p. 186-197Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Amid the crisis of social reproduction, outsourcing domestic work has become increasingly appealing, with labour platforms offering new avenues to do so. This article explores the largely overlooked perspective of clients using platform-mediated cleaning services, focusing on Helpling in Germany. Drawing on a multi-method study, we examine clients’ motivations for hiring cleaners through platforms and their perceptions of working conditions. We also analyse interactions between clients and cleaners, and how these are shaped by the platform. Our findings suggest that platforms like Helpling are attractive because of their convenience and their promise of an allegedly legal alternative to informal arrangements. While some clients express concerns over precarious working conditions, others justify them through market logic or assumptions about cleaners’ backgrounds. The platform infrastructure helps mediate trust, yet personal relations between clients and cleaners limit the platform's strategy of delegating management and control mechanisms to clients.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Wiley , 2026. Vol. 41, no 2, p. 186-197
Keywords [en]
cleaning, clients, crisis of social reproduction, domestic work, informal labour, platform labour
National Category
Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-81467DOI: 10.1111/ntwe.70015ISI: 001638425900001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105024778305OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mau-81467DiVA, id: diva2:2025569
Available from: 2026-01-07 Created: 2026-01-07 Last updated: 2026-07-13Bibliographically approved

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Gruszka, Katarzyna

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Gerold, StefanieGruszka, KatarzynaSardadvar, KarinTheine, HendrikPillinger, Anna
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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
  • apa
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  • Other style
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  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
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  • nn-NB
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  • Other locale
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  • asciidoc
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