Who's the Fairest documents the surprise ending to this season: the wave of protests by beauty care workers in India in late December 2021. We talk to a journalist who covered the protests about how the women found each other, why they organized, and how they are facing unprecedented company intimidation. We also continue our interview with Palak Shah of the National Domestic Workers' Alliance about new strategies for collective action in the US. The season closer also asks what we all can do to support these workers, and a more fair care economy.

Guests: Soumyarendra Barik, Indian Journalist and Palak Shah, National Domestic Workers' Alliance

Resources:

La Alianza (National Domestic Workers Alliance)

Follow Soumya's reporting on Twitter: @iamsoumyarendra and check out his December 2021 article about the Urban Company protests.

We've learned that platforms have lots of data about workers, and use it to squeeze out more and more work. But what if all that data was put to use on behalf of workers instead? In Turning the Tables we continue to explore what happens when you make advocates, and workers themselves, part of the design of platforms. We learn more about how for isolated and historically vulnerable workers, big data can actually open up new possibilities for rights and social protections.

Guests: Palak Shah, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Fairuz Mullagee, University of Western Cape Social Law Project; Abigail Hunt, Overseas Development Institute

Resources:

National Domestic Workers Alliance

Alia Benefits

Platform Cooperativism Consortium

Abigail's paper (with Emma Samman) Gender and the Gig Economy

Given all we had heard about the gig economy we were skeptical there could be an ethical business model. In The Company You Keep, one businessperson set out to convince us that better alternatives are possible. We explore how, if we keep humans in the loop, it's possible platforms for domestic and care work can be an opportunity, not a curse.

Guests: Aaron Seyedian, CEO, Well-Paid Maids and Sayem, a cleaner working with Well-Paid Maids

Resources: Well-Paid Maids