Bonus: Everything we know is shaped by where we stand in the world.

About this episode

Leila Ainge explores the experiences of women independent workers using online communities in her PhD research.

Hi, I’m Leila, and I’m currently doing a PhD exploring the experiences of women who are independent workers, including entrepreneurs, freelancers, and the self-employed, who use online communities as part of their working lives. My first study is collecting data through a series of interviews with women and community hosts across two online communities where I’m also a paying member. These are spaces I didn’t join as a researcher, but as someone looking for connection, support, and belonging in independent work. Alongside the research itself, I’ll be keeping a series of blog posts as part of my reflexivity practice. These posts will sit under a little series I’m calling Field Notes (from the Inside) reflections on researching communities I belong to, in real time.

People in this episode

Host: Leila Ainge

Topics covered

• independent work
• women entrepreneurs
• online communities
• research
• freelancing
• support networks

Keywords

• independent workers
• entrepreneurs
• freelancers
• online communities
• research
• women
• support
• belonging

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