Speedily delivering a new outlook

Tian Lei never considered turning to food delivery to earn a living.

In the early 2000s, she had her own business farming foxes in Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, along with her husband. To make more money to keep their business going, the couple also worked part time at a nearby factory.

They worked very hard from 4:30 am to 8 pm and had a stable life, dreaming about bringing their daughter from their hometown of Chifeng in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

However, in 2016, their business collapsed and closed. A year later, the couple decided to move to Beijing to work as food delivery riders.

"It was a totally new job for us. We knew nothing about it. We just kept one thing in mind: work extra hard to make more money," says Tian. "We are both over 40 years old and struggled to find a job. Food delivery seems to be the only job that fits both of us.

"It's not a difficult job to do as long as you can ride a motorbike," Tian adds. "The flexibility of being a food delivery rider and the core of the job－the more orders you take, the more money you make－also tempted me."

The couple rented a room in a three-bedroom apartment in Tongzhou district for about 1,500 yuan ($223) a month. Tian began work at 7 am and usually got back home during the night. Back in 2017, Tian could make about 400 yuan a day.

Social distancing and working-from-home during the COVID-19 pandemic has meant demand for food delivery has skyrocketed in big cities. A greater number of people are joining the field as riders, which makes the job competitive and even harder.

Some demanding customers can also create problems for Tian. Their bad reviews and negative comments can directly affect her income.

Delivery platforms usually give bonuses if riders accomplish a certain number of deliveries. Tian is always waiting on busy streets, in sunshine or rain, to get as many orders as possible. She only takes one bottle of water, 500 milliliters, every day to save time and she doesn't take a break.

Tian's daughter, 19, studies at a university in Zhejiang province and Tian's goal is to save 100,000 yuan for her daughter as a trousseau when she gets married.

A growing number of women are entering the world of food delivery at a time when demand for riders is at a critical high, as restaurants are required to shut their doors and delivery has become essential for people.

Many of them, like Tian, are influencing other women and bringing changes to the food delivery industry, which used to be dominated by men. They're also sharing an important message: women are playing an even more important role in supporting their families and the job of being a food delivery rider is for everyone.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center, the number of food delivery service users was 150 million in 2016. The number reached 544 million in 2021. The number of food delivery riders rose from 2 million in 2016 to 7.7 million in 2021.

Sun Ping, an assistant researcher at the Institute of Journalism & Communication of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, researched the food delivery industry in 2017.

She found out that before 2020, the number of female food delivery riders was less than 10 percent of the total number. As the pandemic hit, the number of female food delivery riders increased drastically in Chinese cities, both big and small.

According to Sun's research, female food delivery riders are mostly above 30 and from all walks of life. Because of the pandemic, many people lost their jobs and turned to food delivery. To support their families, some women, who used to be housewives, became food delivery riders, as their husbands have become unemployed or are making less money.

"These women share something in common, that is, they work hard and they are not afraid of challenges. They are persistent and diligent. They take on greater responsibilities and do their best to take care of their families," said Sun in an interview published by a Chinese magazine, Life Week.

Sun's research shows that female food delivery riders are good at communicating with customers, especially at handling "difficult people".

In March, a group of female food delivery riders made headlines.

When residents of Shenzhen experienced difficulties amid the pandemic, around 20 female food delivery riders volunteered to send supplies to local residents of the Shangsha community in the city's Futian district.

Their leader is 25-year-old Luo Zaiyan.

According to an interview Luo did with SZTV News of Shenzhen's Satellite TV, she has been working full time as a food delivery rider since 2009, her first job after she moved to Shenzhen from Guizhou province.

In the beginning, it was a tough job for Luo because she was a stranger to the city. However, she has enjoyed the freedom of riding through the streets every day and the income has been good.

"Being my own boss is a really nice thing," says Luo. Now, her younger sister Luo Shishi also works as a food delivery rider.

"When I saw the recruitment for food delivery riders posted by the Shangsha community, I signed up for the job because I live in the community and I know the routes very well, which made the job efficient and it benefited the residents," says Luo Zaiyan.

With the image of self-empowerment, confidence and resilience, she has become a team leader of one of the food delivery stations of online service platform Meituan.

"I don't agree with the idea that food delivery will not get you anywhere. I actually enjoy the job," she says.

Another food delivery rider, 34-year-old Li Xiumei, works for Alibaba-owned grocery retail chain, Freshippo, in Beijing and she was introduced to food delivery work by her friend in March.

On May 1, it was announced that all restaurants would be required to suspend dine-in services and only offer takeout instead, as the city fights the latest resurgence of COVID-19. As a result, Li's orders have been on the rise.

She works more than eight hours a day and takes orders from residents living in Shuangjing, Chaoyang district, which has several residential communities under lockdown.

"I usually stop taking orders around 10 pm and take time to clean before going home," she says. "The job drains me physically, but I don't need much except to be financially independent."

She adds that she is the only female rider at the station, so her male co-workers often offer to help with carrying heavy deliveries or taking orders longer distances.