Why would you spend 60 hours a week in something that gives so little returns? It’s not like you can meaningfully get ahead doing this if these are the numbers. Better to spend the other hours looking for other options or just enjoying yourself.
Because they have to, to make ends meet. When you are struggling to feed yourself and maybe a family it leaves little room for learning or enjoying yourself.
Sure, under pain of starvation people will do this if gig work is the only possible work, but we try not to let people die in the west this way and as a result people have a little breathing room to try to choose better options. Even just being your own childcare is an activity with much higher returns in your example than 60 hours of gig work. I would not expect 50-60 hours to be the norm when it pays so little per hour.
Big difference between struggling to feed yourself and starvation. Still I’m not to sure we make a huge effort in this area regardless of the term, without charities that is.
Who is this we? The local church, the local food bank ran by volunteers and donations? The collective west doesn't give a f about people dying and counts on individuals choosing to donate to prevent it.
Enjoying yourself doesn't pay the bills
Neither does gig work apparently. If the returns are so poor, you can try to feed yourself other ways.
$4 is better than 0 dollars and perhaps some people have looked but couldn't find other work. Maybe they have a criminal record, businesses definitely discriminate even though it's illegal