Platform work is reshaping labour—but gendered inequalities in social protection remain overlooked. This article reveals how gender, sector, and life stage shape access to security. Based on 28 interviews across care work, IT freelancing, and content creation, it shows that care workers face devaluation and limited protection, IT freelancers enjoy high incomes but women struggle with parenthood, and content creators navigate autonomy and gendered visibility risks. Drawing on a "doing gender" lens, the study finds that protection strategies are deeply shaped by gendered norms and structural inequalities. Current regulations fail to account for these differences. The authors call for gender-sensitive, sector-specific policies that reflect the diverse realities of platform workers
