Two students from the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Fisipol UGM), Afkaar Nabil Falah and Nurima Setianingrum, won first place in the national SOCIUS 2025 (Sociology Champion Unesa) competition organized by Universitas Negeri Surabaya.
Their winning entry, titled “The Public Between the State and the Market: The Struggles of Female Online Ojek Drivers in Layered and Ongoing Vulnerability”, was inspired by their concern over the realities faced by female online ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers, particularly in Yogyakarta.
“We found new forms of vulnerability experienced by these women, vulnerabilities not only economic in nature, but also social, psychological, and even structural,” said Falah on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
The phenomenon of flexible work in the digital era is often seen as an ideal solution for women.
However, Falah and Setianingrum’s findings reveal that this supposed flexibility leaves many issues unresolved.
Female drivers face income uncertainty and deductions from digital platforms, while also shouldering the double burden of being both workers and household caretakers.
“Not to mention the risk of harassment on the road and the lack of social security from either the state or platform operators,” Falah added.
To fully portray this reality, the two conducted field research using a qualitative approach.
They interviewed two main informants, a housewife who works alongside her husband as an online ojek driver, and a single mother who also cares for her parents.
The research process involved participant observation, in-depth interviews, verbatim transcripts, and thematic analysis.
“We used purposive and snowball sampling techniques, with verbatim voice recordings, thematic coding, and structured writing,” explained Setianingrum.
The study found that digital workspaces are not neutral arenas.
Female drivers often work under conditions rife with stigma and gender bias, without protection from either the state or the companies.
They are caught between an absent state and an exploitative market.
“When the state fails to provide tangible protection, and platforms operate solely under market logic, their position becomes trapped between an absent state and an exploitative market,” said Falah.
Yet, despite these limitations, female drivers demonstrate remarkable resilience.
They have formed communities such as Srikandi and KGMP (Keluarga Gojek Merah Putih) as expressions of social solidarity.
These communities provide spaces to share information, help one another in case of accidents, and offer emotional support.
“These communities are what we call alternative public spaces where they can feel safe, be heard, and strengthen each other,” Falah noted.
The work draws on theoretical perspectives from B. Herry Priyono on the public sphere and the concept of the precariat from Guy Standing and A. B. Widyanta.
This framework helps explain that female online ojek drivers are part of a new working class living in uncertainty without adequate legal protection.
“They are a tangible symbol of a new working class, living in uncertainty, without permanent contracts, social security, and legal protection,” Falah emphasized.
Through this research, Falah and Setianingrum hope for greater attention from the government and platform companies toward women working in the informal digital sector.
They stress the importance of designing policies that support vulnerable groups, rather than merely pursuing economic efficiency.
“We hope this research can serve as a reference for the government and platform companies to start designing fairer policies that side with vulnerable groups,” Falah said.
For the two, this work is not merely an academic project but also a tribute to the struggles of women in the informal workforce.
By amplifying their experiences, Falah and Setianingrum seek to restore the dignity of female online ojek drivers in a more just public sphere.
“We feel fortunate to be able to voice their stories, and we believe their struggle is an important part of the fight for social justice in the digital era,” Falah concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Photograph: Afkaar Nabil Falah