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The gig economy, in which digital platforms bring together workers and the purchasers of their services, is expanding globally. Though exponential growth is forecast in traditionally female-dominated sectors–notably on-demand household services including cooking, cleaning and care work–little research to date has focused on gendered experiences of gig work or on gig workers outside of North America and Europe. This report presents findings from an in-depth study of women’s engagement in the gig economy in Kenya and South Africa, two middle-income countries at the forefront of developments in digitally mediated work in sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to understand the impact of this engagement on workers’ lives, considering the quality of work on offer and its implications for workers’ management of paid work and unpaid care and domestic work. Our novel research methods in South Africa include a longitudinal survey of gig workers combined with analysis of platform data. In both countries, our findings are based on interviews with workers and other key informants. We find that many gig workers face significant financial precarity and engage in a patchwork of income-generating activities to survive. This includes work on more than one platform and other types of employment, largely in the informal economy. Gig workers typically perceive that platform work offers better options than they would have otherwise, though many would prefer the stability afforded by a more regular engagement. Our exploration of the quality of gig work focuses on earnings and income stability; flexibility in the location and timing of work; safety and security; social …