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Conceptualising vulnerability regimes in shared settings in the sharing economy
Baines, L. Obenholzner, K. Huber, F.
Baines, L.
Obenholzner, K.
Huber, F.
Publication Date
2025-09-01
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© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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2025-08-25
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Grinevich_et_al_2025
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Abstract
The aim of this paper is to theorise what mechanisms shape and actualise gender-based vulnerability in private shared settings of the sharing economy. Despite extensive documentation of gendered risks and discrimination in the sharing economy, there remains a lack of conceptual frameworks that explain these mechanisms. Yet, understanding them is crucial for assessing associated risks, addressing problematic experiences discussed in the literature, and determining if the sharing economy can deliver on its promises of fair access and social sustainability. By synthesising insights from Joan Acker's structural theory of inequality regimes and Cecilia Ridgeway's cultural-interactionist theory of gender inequality, we develop the novel concept of vulnerability regimes. We conceptualise vulnerability regimes as emerging when internalised gender status beliefs, shaped by dominant socio-cultural norms, are enacted within interactional contexts structured by key elements of sharing platform design. We define these elements as asymmetric control over material and labour resources, intimate proximity, trust mechanisms, and lack of external observation and institutional accountability. We conceptualise that the outcome of this interaction generates three axes in vulnerability regimes such as access to services, quality of service, and security and privacy. The proposed theorising provides a foundation for guiding empirical research. It also informs platform governance, regulatory frameworks, and strategies aimed at ensuring safer, more equitable participation in the sharing economy as well as other relevant contexts.
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Grinevich V, Baines L, Obenholzner K et al (2025) Conceptualising vulnerability regimes in shared settings in the sharing economy. Journal of Cleaner Production. 524: 146496.
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