Special feature: Considering the responsibility of the users of housework and care services - Possibilities of a movement against market economy -

Possibilities and Risks of Face-to-face Services Organized through Consumer-to-Consumer Platforms in Japan: A Study of Sexual Assault Incidents against Housekeepers and by Babysitters

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potentials and risks of face-to-face housework and childcare services through consumer-to-consumer (C2C) matching platforms in Japan. While these platforms may seemingly be a solution for reducing the incidence of unpaid work by women, several sexual assaults of/by workers who had listed with these platforms were reported around 2020. Based on the point of view of a journalist who has reported on the details of these incidents, this paper points out that the C2C model has structural difficulties ensuring the quality of services, and that government involvement is particularly important in childcare services.