You may have heard the phrase ‘gig economy’ kicking around, but do you really know what it is and some of the pressing labour issues its rise has stimulated? The term has emerged to describe the new and increasingly popular form of employment exemplified by the likes of Uber or Deliveroo. Rather than having a clear and set workplace, such companies provide lots of individual ‘gigs’ to people – often through an app. But what does that mean for employers’ rights? How can we ensure that workers are given the protection they deserve, without stripping them of the flexibility the gig economy was originally intended to provide?

Law is one of the building blocks of our society. It shapes and moulds people’s behaviour and so says a lot about what we collectively value and how. It is particularly worrying, therefore, when we get it wrong. Follow Cambridge law graduate, Sylvie’s, path to the cutting-edge research she is currently undertaking in gender disparities on her PhD and what crucial steps she took to prepare for her undergraduate law application.