The EQUALS Global Partnership launched its 2025 Research Report, titled “Evidence to Impact: Advancing Gender Empowerment in the Digital Age,” at the WSIS Forum 2025. The report focuses on providing fresh global insights into gender and digital transformation, and emphasizes the urgent need for gender-inclusive digital development. The report is the result of a collective effort to advance the global conversation on digital gender equality, featuring exploratory research, case studies, and evidence-based initiatives from EQUALS partners worldwide. The EQUALS Research Report 2025 is organized into four thematic sections: Digital Skills, Digital Inclusion and Education, Digital Economy, and AI and Cybersecurity. This report serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking the most up-to-date evidence and tools for closing the gender digital divide across multiple levels. 
The EQUALS Global Partnership launched its 2025 Research Report, titled “Evidence to Impact: Advancing Gender Empowerment in the Digital Age,” at the WSIS Forum 2025. The report focuses on providing fresh global insights into gender and digital transformation, and emphasizes the urgent need for gender-inclusive digital development. The report is the result of a collective effort to advance the global conversation on digital gender equality, featuring exploratory research, case studies, and evidence-based initiatives from EQUALS partners worldwide. The EQUALS Research Report 2025 is organized into four thematic sections: Digital Skills, Digital Inclusion and Education, Digital Economy, and AI and Cybersecurity. This report serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking the most up-to-date evidence and tools for closing the gender digital divide across multiple levels.
One of the most contentious issues in platforms is the employment status of those who offer services on them: are they employees or independent contractors? If the former, in Sri Lanka they would qualify for employer contributed mandatory retirement savings; in the US, they would get health insurance and other benefits. A state law in California said those who offer services on platforms are employers. A vote on a proposition said no. In voting to support Uber and Lyft, Californians rejected the principles outlined in a 2018 State Supreme Court ruling and enshrined in a 2019 state law that said workers who performed tasks within a company’s regular business — and were controlled by the company and did not operate their own firms — must be treated as employees.
This is highly dependent on the nature of the platform. 
The answer depends on a combination on factors, including the circumstances of the work.
Meet Nang Lao Kham, an online freelancer from Myanmar.
Over the course of our research in Myanmar, we met many people connected with the world of online freelancing. Hear some of their stories in the video below.
Millennial Careers 2020 Vision: Report by Manpower group highlights, Though Millennials favor full-time work, over half say they are open to non-traditional forms of employment in the future—freelance, gig work or portfolio careers with multiple jobs. Self-employment is also a tempting future option. This is based on a quantitative research across 25 countries surveying 19,000 Millennials. They asked what they look for in a job, what development opportunities they seek and what would make them stay with an employer. Here are some key findings of the survey, Seventy-three percent report working more than 40 hours a week, and nearly a quarter work over 50 hours.