First, let’s define gig work. 

Gig work is short-term, freelance, or contract-based work in which you get paid per task, project, or service, instead of getting a steady wage or a salary. 

Gig work has always existed, but the modern gig economy really took off in the early 2010s with the rise of digital platforms like Mechanical Turk and Taskrabbit. 

Today, popular gig economy platforms include Uber, Lyft, Skip, DoorDash, Instacart, Taskrabbit, Airbnb, Fiverr, Upwork, OnlyFans, Rover, Handy, AskforTask, Care.com, and Sitly. 

The work includes everything from food delivery to software development. A lot of it is everyday tasks for individual customers—things like picking up people’s groceries, walking their dogs, or cleaning or organizing their homes.

The gig economy has grown really quickly.

In 2022, Statistics Canada reported that 2.4 million Canadians had done some form of gig work during the previous 12 months. In 2025, H&R Block reported that nearly one in four Canadians was part of the gig economy. It’s slowly getting less common for people to have conventional employment and more common for them to be in the gig economy instead.

From a legal standpoint, gig economy workers are independent contractors, meaning they work for themselves. That makes them vulnerable because our system for protecting workers has always assigned a lot of responsibility to employers. So if you don’t have an employer—if you are, in effect, your own employer—there is nobody responsible for ensuring your work conditions are safe and secure.

Why gig workers face more gender-based harassment

If you’ve done gig work, you know there are pros and cons. One con is harassment. 

Why is there so much harassment in the gig economy?

  • Most gig workers work alone. There aren’t any co-workers or bosses around to witness harassment or intervene.
  • A lot of the work is inside people’s homes. This makes you vulnerable because you can’t control the environment or know that it’s safe. Maybe there are weapons present, people you don’t know about, dangerous animals. You can’t control it.
  • “Employers” are ordinary people, not professional bosses. Your customer may not be fit to function as a boss: they could be intoxicated, violent, paranoid, have really poor judgment, or be experiencing delusions or mood swings. If they’re terrible, there’s nobody to performance-manage them or fire them or even just protect you from them. 
  • The work can be personal or even intimate. If you’re cleaning someone’s house or doing other personal work for them, you’ve got a lot of exposure to their private life, which can sometimes make things feel too personal or intimate.
  • The work can bleed into your personal life. You may use your own car, phone, or home for your work, which can make it hard to maintain professional boundaries. People could see your kid’s stuff, figure out who you live with, etc.
  • You’re dependent on ratings. You may feel pressured to tolerate bad behaviour so your reviews stay positive.
  • It’s easy for someone to fire you. Your customer can easily stop giving you work—and the platform can do the same.
  • You have no HR. HR isn’t always very helpful for people who are being harassed, but at least it means there’s someone to take complaints. As a gig worker, you don’t have that. 

What gender-based harassment looks like in gig work

Here are some of the most common experiences.

Desire-based harassment

  • Persistent sexual comments and flirting: Customers make inappropriate remarks about your body, clothing, or appearance.
  • Getting too physically close: Customers take advantage of task requirements (a physical task, a confined space) to get too close to you.
  • Physical touching: Customers touch you without your consent, under the guise of friendliness or work-related direction.
  • Pressure for dates or personal contact: Customers text or talk inappropriately or make crass or repeated social invitations.

Threats, intimidation, and unsafe situations

  • Customers refuse to leave or block exits: Customers linger, block exits, refuse to leave, or refuse to let you leave.
  • Threats of violence or retaliation: Customers become threatening, or stalk or follow you
  • Deliberately unsafe situations: Customers ask you to meet in unsafe locations or at unsafe times, drive to remote locations, or work under conditions that increase your physical vulnerability.

Discrimination and Gender-Based Hostility

  • Invasive questions and mockery: Customers ask you invasive personal questions, mock you, make “jokes” or use slurs. 
  • Sexist treatment: Customers make sexist remarks or are overly critical or suspicious of your work, especially if you’re not a man and the work is considered “male,” like home repairs or IT support.
  • Refusal of work on the basis of gender: Customers refuse to hire you because of your gender.

Retaliation Through Ratings and Reviews

  • Bad reviews as punishment: Customers who feel entitled to your attention may leave negative reviews and ratings if you reject or ignore them
  • Deactivation or job loss due to biased reviews: Your platform may penalize or deactivate you on the basis of low ratings, even when those ratings are a result of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.
  • Retaliation from platforms themselves: Your platform may penalize or deactivate you for reporting harassment

What the law says about gender-based harassment in the gig economy

There are two major forms of legal protection against workplace sexual harassment.

  • Human rights law prohibits discrimination and harassment based on gender, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Like everybody else, gig workers are protected by human rights law.
  • Employment law provides protections to workers, including requiring employers to provide a harassment-free environment. However, most gig workers are considered to be independent contractors, which means they aren’t covered under standard employment protections. This is changing: British Columbia now considers gig workers to be legally employees, and Ontario is slowly putting in place some protections for gig workers. But for gig workers in the rest of the country, employment law doesn’t apply.

The reality is that gig workers face a higher risk of gender-based harassment—and they also have fewer legal protections and have built-in opportunities for retaliation, like customer reviews. There is no traditional employer responsible for providing a safe work environment, and many platforms will never take responsibility for worker safety.

This means if you’re a gig worker, you’re likely pretty much on your own.

How gig workers can protect themselves

Here are some practical ways to protect yourself.

Learn from others and build your knowledge

  • Get familiar with online forums and worker communities. Many gig workers share tips and advice on subreddits and online communities dedicated to specific platforms (for example, Uber, DoorDash, Skip, Taskrabbit).
  • Join gig worker networks. Groups like Gig Workers United in Canada provide support, advocacy, and resources for workers facing unfair treatment.

Use platform tools and systems 

  • Use in-app safety features. Many rideshare and delivery apps have built-in safety features like emergency buttons, location tracking, and rider reporting. Get familiar with these tools and use them if they seem helpful. 
  • Save everything. If a customer or client is worrying you, take screenshots, save messages, and document dates and details in case you need to report.
  • Report issues. If you get harassed, consider reporting it to the platform. Not all platforms take action, but some may.

Start things off on the right foot

  • Do basic documentation of new gigs. Take a photo of the address, front door, or apartment number. If you feel comfortable, photograph your client.
  • Consider wearing a uniform or outfit with uniform-like qualities, such as platform-branded apparel or even just a polo shirt with chinos or cargo pants. Consider “work-like” accessories like a visible ID badge, folder, or lanyard.
  • Pretend you’re wrapping up a work call when arriving. “Yep, and I will see you at 3 p.m.” “We can definitely handle that. I’m arriving at a work site, but I’ll give you a call later on.” 
  • Start with a little professional patter. “Here’s the plan.” Consider carrying a clipboard and ticking off checklist items. Use the client’s name.
  • Mention other clients and gigs. (“On Tuesdays I have three clients.” “Most people have me come twice a week.”)
  • If someone creeps you out, consider shutting things down and leaving.

Control access and information 

  • Keep your doors locked. 
  • Meet in public. 
  • Don’t go inside unless it’s part of the job. 
  • Don’t give you out your personal email address or phone number or address. 
  • Be cautious about personal details. Don’t tell people who you live with, what neighbourhood you’re in, or where you hang out.
  • Keep your phone in your possession. 

Signal oversight and protection

  • Install a visible dashcam or bodycam.
  • Wear an earpiece even if you’re not connected to anyone.
  • Use language that implies you’re part of a team (“We,” “my manager,” “Dispatch”).
  • Talk to your phone as though someone is listening or recording. “Just logging pickup.” “Logging that payment has been made.” “Dropoff is complete; I’m headed back to the car.” 
  • Say things that make it seem like harassing you could be dangerous. “My best friend is a lawyer.” “My dad’s a cop.” “My brother’s obsessed with strength training.”
  • Say things that make it seem like you are networked and protected. “The people at [platform] are so great, they are so responsive and supportive.” “My friends are so protective; they are constantly checking in on me.” “I belong to [professional association] and they have always been super-helpful.”

Manage space and time

  • Control the physical space with task-oriented movement so you don’t get cornered: keep walking while you assess or gather information.
  • Maintain physical barricades: a big bag, a clipboard, even your phone.
  • Be in a hurry even when you’re not. “I’m on a tight route today so I can’t stay long.” “I’ve got three more stops before lunch.” 

Prevent things from escalating

  • Distract the person with a job-specific task. “Could you confirm the drop-off location?” “Can you show me where you keep the supplies?”
  • Name a busy public destination you’re headed to next. “After this I’ve got a guy at the airport.” “I’ve got a client handover at the office park.”
  • Say things that function as reminders that you’re not peers, friends, or partners. “It’s a good thing I’m contractually obligated to laugh at your jokes. Haha.” “OMG that’s my stepfather’s favourite movie, too.” “Haha, we are drifting into therapy mode and that is not what I get paid for.” “Wow, you are definitely gonna incur the unsolicited compliment surcharge. Hahaha.” 
  • Develop rules. “I don’t socialize with people I meet through work.” “I can’t accept gifts from clients.” “My social media is 100% private.” “I have a policy of not talking about my personal life.” “I’m not allowed to give you my personal number.”
  • Consider being transparent and forthcoming about what’s happening. “Working in people’s homes, it’s common for things to get blurry.” “I love all my clients but at the end of the day we’re not really friends. You’re paying me to do a job.”

Close things off neatly

  • Shut down contact after the gig ends—If someone messages you casually or creepily afterward, don’t engage. Report/block if needed.
  • Set up standard language for declining: “Per platform policy, I shut down communication once the job is done.”
  • Avoid repeat bookings if someone is creepy: Most platforms let you block or filter clients. Use it.

Be prepared for when things go badly

  • Know in advance how you’ll get out if a situation feels unsafe. “I have to get [work tool] from my car.” “My sister just told me my nephew’s in the ER. I need to go.”
  • Turn on location tracking for friends or family members, or text them your location when you enter a work site. Don’t hide this from your customer.
  • Have a friend call you a half-hour after you start a new engagement. Be matter-of-fact; don’t hide it from your customer. 
  • Know in advance what you’ll do if things get really bad. Have a code word you can text quickly to a friend. The purpose isn’t so much to get emergency help quickly; it’s so you can tell the customer help is coming, so they will let you go.

If you’re dealing with workplace harassment, know this: It’s not your fault. You deserve respect, you deserve safety, and you deserve a workplace where you can do your job without being distracted or hassled. Knowing your rights and having a plan can help. Good luck.