Scooter girls are the new ‘delivery boys’
Number of women in India’s delivery business is up to 68k from 40k in 2018. The ripples are being felt far and wide in the 10L-strong workforce
Ishita Mishra & Anam Ajmal | TNN 03.08.2019
The scooter comes to a halt outside a restaurant in the narrow bylanes of Dehradun. As the rider moves towards the kitchen, heads turn. An unfazed Reena Gupta quickly picks up a parcel and starts the GPS on her phone. Minutes later, the mother of two is knocking at a stranger’s house, pizza in hand.
As new-age internet companies expand businesses, an increasing number of women are making their presence felt in the gig economy space. In the delivery sector alone, which has about 10 lakh employees, 67,900 are women — up from 40,000 in 2018 — according to latest estimates.
There’s been a surge in women applying to be delivery partners in big metros and smaller cities, says a spokesperson at Zomato. The company has 2 lakh delivery partners. Increased participation of women has led to the roll-out of delivery via bicycle, targeted at those who don’t know how to ride a bike.
Some women are leaving their low-paying “9 to 5” desk jobs as assistants and back-office employees to embrace this digitally mediated work. And driving this choice are factors like greater flexibility, more working-time autonomy and better pay parity than in traditional jobs.
Reena joined Zomato last September after her husband lost his job at a medical store. “It was an unusual choice but I decided to give it a shot,” the arts graduate told TOI.
What sealed the deal for her was the freedom to decide her working hours, set her own targets and higher pay — she earns up to Rs 6,000 every week, delivering up to 20 orders a day.
Firdaus Ansari from Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai quit her job as a doctor’s assistant last year and became a food delivery agent. No longer bound by a desk job, she has extra time at hand and is now focusing on dreams cast aside years ago — like pursuing a bachelors in sociology. She attends classes early morning and starts picking up orders after 1 pm.
Priyanka, a 22-year-old from Mumbai who has been with Swiggy for 10 months, chose to be a delivery partner for financial reasons. “My parents passed away when I was a teenager. I have three younger siblings to raise. This job has given me financial independence.” She also enjoys meeting new people and is now familiar with many areas of the city.
While digital forces may have opened new opportunities for women, it’s not always a trouble-free ride. Safety remains a concern and companies are starting to take note. Swiggy — which employs over 1.95 lakh delivery executives and has 700 women — has designated “safe zones” for women employees in over 20 cities.
“They work in shifts that end before 6 pm and operate in areas identified as safe zones,” a company spokesperson said.
“Our location is tracked by area managers. The key is to keep someone informed,” said Menka Pakhare, a 34-yearold who works with Zomato in Mumbai and was a housewife for 13 years before taking up the job.
Firdaus added that initially she was scared to take orders after dark, but her job has taught her how to deal with all kinds of situation.
But gender dynamics remain strong and convincing “society” that women can enter male-dominated professions is a challenge. Firdaus gives the example of another girl who had joined with her but quit shortly afterwards due to family pressure.
Some resolute women like 39-year-old Harshika Pandya — one of the 12 female Zomato delivery partners in Surat — manage to stand their ground. Harshika was working in the back office of a finance company and decided on Zomato in 2018.
“When I started out, my family said it was a man’s job. But I stuck to my decision,” said Harshika, who usually picks up her last order around 1.30am.
Ashwini, 34, Swiggy’s first female delivery partner in Vadodara who recently moved to Bengaluru for her daughter’s higher studies, said that each ride she undertakes delivers a message that no job belongs to any particular gender.
Observers back the thought. “When women opt for jobs where they are seen in public places, it increases their visibility, which leads to normalisation and acceptance of such work in society. It also gives women better career options and leads to an increase in their confidence levels and economic worth,” said Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research.
India is indeed moving beyond gender, said Preethisha, the country’s first transgender food delivery person with Uber Eats who lives in Chennai. She has high hopes for the future. “Today, gender doesn’t stop people from pursuing opportunities. With more women and marginalised communities in the workforce, the future will be even better,” said the 32-year-old.
Harshika agreed. “Ye soch badalne ka safar hai (This is a journey to change mindsets),” she said.
Number of women in India’s delivery business is up to 68k from 40k in 2018. The ripples are being felt far and wide in the 10L-strong workforce
Ishita Mishra & Anam Ajmal | TNN 03.08.2019
The scooter comes to a halt outside a restaurant in the narrow bylanes of Dehradun. As the rider moves towards the kitchen, heads turn. An unfazed Reena Gupta quickly picks up a parcel and starts the GPS on her phone. Minutes later, the mother of two is knocking at a stranger’s house, pizza in hand.
As new-age internet companies expand businesses, an increasing number of women are making their presence felt in the gig economy space. In the delivery sector alone, which has about 10 lakh employees, 67,900 are women — up from 40,000 in 2018 — according to latest estimates.
There’s been a surge in women applying to be delivery partners in big metros and smaller cities, says a spokesperson at Zomato. The company has 2 lakh delivery partners. Increased participation of women has led to the roll-out of delivery via bicycle, targeted at those who don’t know how to ride a bike.
Some women are leaving their low-paying “9 to 5” desk jobs as assistants and back-office employees to embrace this digitally mediated work. And driving this choice are factors like greater flexibility, more working-time autonomy and better pay parity than in traditional jobs.
Reena joined Zomato last September after her husband lost his job at a medical store. “It was an unusual choice but I decided to give it a shot,” the arts graduate told TOI.
What sealed the deal for her was the freedom to decide her working hours, set her own targets and higher pay — she earns up to Rs 6,000 every week, delivering up to 20 orders a day.
Firdaus Ansari from Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai quit her job as a doctor’s assistant last year and became a food delivery agent. No longer bound by a desk job, she has extra time at hand and is now focusing on dreams cast aside years ago — like pursuing a bachelors in sociology. She attends classes early morning and starts picking up orders after 1 pm.
Priyanka, a 22-year-old from Mumbai who has been with Swiggy for 10 months, chose to be a delivery partner for financial reasons. “My parents passed away when I was a teenager. I have three younger siblings to raise. This job has given me financial independence.” She also enjoys meeting new people and is now familiar with many areas of the city.
While digital forces may have opened new opportunities for women, it’s not always a trouble-free ride. Safety remains a concern and companies are starting to take note. Swiggy — which employs over 1.95 lakh delivery executives and has 700 women — has designated “safe zones” for women employees in over 20 cities.
“They work in shifts that end before 6 pm and operate in areas identified as safe zones,” a company spokesperson said.
“Our location is tracked by area managers. The key is to keep someone informed,” said Menka Pakhare, a 34-yearold who works with Zomato in Mumbai and was a housewife for 13 years before taking up the job.
Firdaus added that initially she was scared to take orders after dark, but her job has taught her how to deal with all kinds of situation.
But gender dynamics remain strong and convincing “society” that women can enter male-dominated professions is a challenge. Firdaus gives the example of another girl who had joined with her but quit shortly afterwards due to family pressure.
Some resolute women like 39-year-old Harshika Pandya — one of the 12 female Zomato delivery partners in Surat — manage to stand their ground. Harshika was working in the back office of a finance company and decided on Zomato in 2018.
“When I started out, my family said it was a man’s job. But I stuck to my decision,” said Harshika, who usually picks up her last order around 1.30am.
Ashwini, 34, Swiggy’s first female delivery partner in Vadodara who recently moved to Bengaluru for her daughter’s higher studies, said that each ride she undertakes delivers a message that no job belongs to any particular gender.
Observers back the thought. “When women opt for jobs where they are seen in public places, it increases their visibility, which leads to normalisation and acceptance of such work in society. It also gives women better career options and leads to an increase in their confidence levels and economic worth,” said Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research.
India is indeed moving beyond gender, said Preethisha, the country’s first transgender food delivery person with Uber Eats who lives in Chennai. She has high hopes for the future. “Today, gender doesn’t stop people from pursuing opportunities. With more women and marginalised communities in the workforce, the future will be even better,” said the 32-year-old.
Harshika agreed. “Ye soch badalne ka safar hai (This is a journey to change mindsets),” she said.
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