Feminization of labour, defeminization of time banks: Digital time banking and unpaid virtual work

This article addresses the notion of post-Fordism and the feminization of labour in order to provide deeper insight into the shifting boundaries of work in the Digital Age and how new forms of virtual work emerge. Specifically, this paper approaches digital time banking as a specific form of unpaid virtual work. We analyse six case studies to reveal the different gendered natures of digital and non-digital time banks (TBs) and to suggest that the defeminization (understood fundamentally, but not only, as the lack of presence and involvement of women and affective labour) of digital time banking may be connected with the so-called third gender digital divide. This leads us to discuss the underrepresentation of women in other digitally mediated and sharing economy initiatives, to suggest some possible explanations, and warn against the post-feminization of culture.