Freelancers as a Part of the Precariat of Modern Russian Society: A Socio-logical Analysis

The aim of the article is an attempt to outline the social groups whose representatives adhere to the practice of freelancing. The study sheds light on the activities of students combining employment and education, “mompreneurs” simultaneously juggling childcare and remote work, and senior citizens remaining active in the labor market post-retirement. Representatives of all the above-mentioned social groups are united by their existence on the labor market in conditions of precarious employment. A special place in the article is given to the paradox of student's informal entry into the labor market. Understanding the fragmentation of the freelance community will allow us to rethink the study of both the social group itself and its development as part of such a social stratum as the precariat. Furthermore, the author examines the legal framework governing freelance activities in the modern Russian labor market, exploring its potential to facilitate a transition for these “21st-century freelancers” out of pre-carity and towards greater stability.