Understanding Labor Informality Based on the Work of Moto-Taxi done by Women in Barranquilla (Colombia)

Abstract

Through the lens of the subjective experience of women who drive moto-taxis in Barranquilla, Colombia, this article explores the interaction between labor informality, precarious working conditions, and gender. Based on the information obtained from in-depth interviews, ethnographic observation, and focus groups, the article questions the usual approaches to city, gender, and labor informality to the extent that they do not represent properly the subjective experiences of the workers, they flatten the analysis of the differential consequences for women in this type of work, and they produce images of insecurity and instability that are not necessarily perceived by these women. The article proposes a change of perspective in terms of analyses of gender and cities in general through a mobile perspective of the mobility analyses. We explore three movements on mobility: (i) the movement of work in cities outside its margins, (ii) the mobility of identities, and (iii) the paradox of care as a circular movement.