Nearly seven in 10 women gig platform workers across sectors such as e-commerce delivery, at-home beauty services, domestic work and other app-based home services in Delhi-NCR reported reducing or stopping work due to health issues aggravated by extreme heat, underscoring the growing impact of rising temperatures on earnings and working conditions, according to a HeatWatch study.
Severe Health Impacts
The study was conducted over eight months among 100 women gig workers across Delhi-NCR involving detailed interviews focussed group discussions with the participants. It found that 69% had curtailed work because of heat-related health challenges. About 77% reported tiredness or weakness, 74% suffered headaches, 63% experienced dizziness, while 57% experienced dehydration or extreme thirst.
More than half (51%) also reported psychological symptoms such as stress, anxiety and difficulty concentrating during periods of extreme heat, according to the report.
Only 18% of respondents said their work remained unchanged during summer, while the rest reported reduced work, increased workloads or unpredictable changes in bookings. Around 40% earned between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 a month, leaving limited financial cushion to absorb lost working days or additional heat-related expenses.
Algorithmic Pressure
Access to drinking water, washrooms and shaded rest spaces emerged as the most urgent demand, cited by more than 40% of the workers surveyed.
The report said platform design often compounds heat exposure through cancellation penalties, customer ratings, time-bound bookings, incentive structures, unpaid waiting time and the absence of paid sick leave, encouraging workers to continue working despite symptoms such as exhaustion, headaches and dehydration.
“Our findings show that the impact of extreme heat on women platform workers is significant, but it is not inevitable. Practical measures such as heat-sensitive algorithms and paid breaks that workers can take without fear of economic penalties can make a meaningful difference,” said Apekshita Varshney, founder and executive director of HeatWatch Foundation – a non-profit based in Delhi.
Ananya Tiwary, author of the report, said the study highlights the “physical and mental hardship” endured by women gig workers that often remains invisible to customers, platform companies and governments.