India is a country which varies greatly from region to region, based on history, political economy, culture, differences in political philosophies. But in many parts of India, women and men, especially among the poor, have in common that they work together in manual jobs, including agriculture and construction. Neo-liberalism and globalization, including mechanization, has had many negative effects on the poorest third of the people, but there is also a history of resistance in many parts of the country.
Stills from the film:
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Many women laborers carry headloads in India. This was shot in Gurgeon, on the outskirts of Delhi. | Padma helped me do interviews in Chennai, in the South of India. She confronted a labor contractor regarding his idea that women can not do skilled work. |
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| In March of 2002, women and men from the Joint Trades Committee--many of them construction workers- marched for 3 months across the southern state of Tamil Nadu to protest the negative effects of globalization and particular government policies. | ||
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| Transnational Tradeswomen (2006) 62 min. |
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| For US distribution, contact Women Make Movies at http://www.wmm.com 212-925-0606. |
| Outside US, contact Vivian Price at vprice@csudh.edu |
Winner: CINE Golden Eagle award, 2006
Sales: Dvd-R $190. Email vprice@csudh.edu for shipping rates, address, and any other information. International purchasers ONLY click the Buy Now button below and purchase the film using Paypal. If you are in the US, you must go through Women Make Movies
Transnational Tradeswomen is a road trip, set off by the 1995 Women's Conference in Beijing, that explores the situations of women construction laborers in Asia. Women in the global north and south are having trouble working in construction. In the south, development often increases unemployment of the very poor, further exacerbated by mechanization. This is compounded by the "race to the bottom," which propels migration of laborers, recruited by employers wishing to pay yet lower wages. While many women in Asia have worked in construction for centuries, they are largely confined to manual jobs, rather than skilled work. Skilled construction work in both the global north and south is mostly thought to be "inappropriate" for women. But what really counts as "skill" and how is gender used to categorize these jobs? An early scene in the film was shot at the Beijing conference on Women in 1995. In a workshop on the construction industry, women from the US, Denmark, Bermuda, Japan, Afghanistan, India and Thailand contrast the issues facing women laborers in each of their countries. Subsequent sections follow the director's footsteps as she travels to Thailand, India, Singapore, and Taiwan, to construction sites ,workers' homes, workers associations, meeting with scholars and activists. Segments on Pakistan and Japan were shot by filmmakers in those countries who collaborated on the project. The Japanese segment includes Keiko, a woman plumber, addressing the way employers now treat her since she had her daughter. Following Keiko, a truck driver speaks about sexism and self-pride, and a 65 year old woman carpenter takes a moment from climbing on scaffolding to compare the satisfaction she gets remodeling a house with the pleasure of 'dressing kimono.' The story this film tells disturbs the notion many people hold, that modernization, education and technology result in gender equality and the alleviation of poverty. It also raises the question: does the gendering of work in construction provide a transnational connection among the women who work in this industry? |
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| Links and resources |
| There is a large literature that is relevant to women construction workers in India. Here is a bibliography of relevant texts and links. |
| Bhaduri, Amit and Deepak Nayyar, 1996. Intelligent Person’s guide to liberalization, New Delhi: Penguin.
Bhatt, Ella, 2003. "From the Chairperson's Desk," in unpublished conference proceedings of the First International Seminar on Skill Upgradation of Women Workers in a Globalizing Construction Industry, SEWA, 2003, p. 34-46. Breman, 1996, Footloose labour : working in India's internal economy, New York : Cambridge University Press Chaudhary, Neelam, 1998. Labour in Mughal India, New Delhi: Aravali Books. Clarke, Linda , Elsbet Fryendal Pederson, Elisabeth Michielsens, Barbara Susman, Christine Wall, eds. "Introduction," Women in Construction, Brussels: CLR/Reed Business Information, p. 8-22. Cockburn, Cynthia, 1986. Machinery of dominance : women, men and technical knowhow, London ; Dover, N.H. : Pluto Press. Dasgupta, Samira, 1995. In Search of Alternatives : Tribal Women in Desert Scenario, New Delhi : Gyan Pub. House. Desai, Manisha, 2002. "Transnational Solidarity, Women's Agency, Structural Adjustment and Globalization," in Women's Activism and Globalization, Nancy Naples and Manisha Desai, eds. New York and London: Routledge, p 14-41. Dutta, Dilip, 2002. "Effects of Globalisation on Employment and Poverty in Dualistic Economies: The Case of India." rspas.anu.edu.au/economics/asarc/publications.php Eisenberg, Susan, "Still Waiting after all these years: Women in the US Construction Industry, in Women in Construction, Linda Clarke, Elsbet Fryendal Pederson, Elisabeth Michielsens, Barbara Susman, Christine Wall, eds., Brussels: CLR/Reed Business Information, p. 188-201. Escobar, Arturo, 1995. Encountering Development : the making and unmaking of the Third World. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press. Ferguson, James, 1994. The Anti-Politics Machine, "Development, "Depoliticization, and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho. Minneapolis, London: University of Minnesota Press. Ghosh, Chitra, 1984. "Construction Workers," in Lebra, Joyce, Joy Paulson, Jana Everett, eds. Women and Work in India, Continuity and Change, New Delhi: Promilla & Co., Publishers. Giriji, Ramakrishan, Ramakrishan 1989. Women Construction Workers in India. Bharati Institute (unpublished manuscript) Kaplan, Cara, 1994. "The Politics of Location as Transnational Feminist Critical Practice," in Scattered Hegemonies, Inderpal Grewal, Cara Kaplan eds, in, Minneapolis, London: University of Minneapolis Press, p 137-152. Gulati, Leela. 1981. Profiles in Female Poverty : a Study of Five Poor Working Women in Kerala, Delhi : Hindustan Pub. Corp. Gupta, Akhil, 1998. Postcolonial Development, Durham: Duke University Press. Hirway, Indira, 1998. Paradigms of Development: Issues in Industrial Policy in India. Queen Elizabeth House Working Paper Series, 22. http://www2.qeh.ox.ac.uk/pdf/qehp/qehwps22.pdf Holleran, Glynn, 2002. "India: Land of Opportunity, From Maintenance to new construction, India’s government seeks new partners, new technology." Asphalt contractor.com http://www.asphalt.com/0402_articles/india1.html Jagannathan, Venkatachari, 2001a. "Schwing Stetter: a ready mix success," http://www.domain-b.com/companies/companies_s/schwing_stetter/20010417_schwing_stetter.html Jaina, Purushottama Candra 1976. Socio-Economic Exploration of Medieval India (800-1300 AD) Delhi: BR Publishing Corp. Johri, CK and S.M. Pandey, 1972. Employment Relationship in the Building Industry, A Study in Delhi, New Delhi: Shri Ram Centre. John, J, 1997. "The Toll That Never Ends: Gender bias in Construction Industry," Labour File, v 3, nos. 10-12. p 57-58. Kapadia, Karin, 1995. Siva and Her Sisters, Gender, Caste and Class in Rural South India, Boulder, San Francisco, Oxford: Westview Press. Kalpagam, U. 1994. Labour and gender : survival in urban India, New Delhi ; Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage Publications. Krishnamurthy, V. and R.P. Nair (undated but probably 2003). " The Welfare Fund for Construction Workers in Tamil Nadu," unpublished report for the International Labor Organization. Mageli, Eldrid, 1997. Organizing Women’s Protest, A Study in Political Styles in Two South Indian Activist Groups. Surrey, England: Curzon Press. Malarchi, (undated pamphlet), Chennai. McCartney, Matthew 2004. "Liberalisation and Social Structure: The Case of Labour Intensive Export Growth in South Asia", Post-Autistic Economics Review, issue no. 23, 5 (January), article 3, Menon, Leela, 2002. Building walls of confidence, Financial Daily, Business Line Internet Edition, The Hindu, July 22, 2002. www.blonnet.com/life/2002/07/22/ stories/2002072200210400.htm Mitra Anup and S. Mukhopadhyay , 1989. "Female Labour Absorption in Construction Sector," Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. - XXIV, No. 10. Mohanty, Chandra, 1991. "Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses," in Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism, Chandra Mohanty, ed. Bloomington: Indiana UniversityPress. P51-80. Narayan, Prem, 1999. "Construction Equipment," ISA990801 International Trade Administration, Series Industry Sector Analysis (ISA ITA), US D& Foreign Commercial Service and US Dept of State. (www.artba.org/ExPro1/sect2/indiasept1. htm%20-%20India%20- National Alliance People’s Movement. http://www.humanscapeindia.net/volun/ngos/napm.htm Pais, Jesim , 2002, "Casualization of Urban Labour Force," Economic and Political Weekly, 631-648. Pahlman, Charlie 1996, "Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Private investment in public projects...or just more public subsidies for the private sector?" Watershed; Vol. 2 No.I July - October http://www.signposts.uts.edu.au/articles/Generic/Development/364.html Price, Vivian, 2004. "Support for Women's Employment in the building trades: affirmative action and the century freeway in Los Angeles, in Women in Construction, Linda Clarke, Elsbet Fryendal Pederson, Elisabeth Michielsens, Barbara Susman, Christine Wall, eds., Brussels: CLR/Reed Business Information. p.206-214. Priya, S.K. Hari, 2000. "Violence against Women Construction Workers in Kerala, India," online conference, Women's Organizations and the Building of Civil Society in the 21st Century, December 12-22, 2001. http://www.philanthropy.org/GN/KEN/gntext/fullview_civilrights_sexual_violence_haripriya.htm Price, Vivian 2002. "Gender and Race in the Construction Industry," Feminist Report of Public Hearings on Impact of Globalization on Women, National Commission for Women, 2002. Organized by Women’s Struggle Committee and Joint Action Committee of Unorganized Workers. (unpublished pamphlet for hearings held in Trichy, Coimbatore and Chennai, Tamil Nadu) Qaisar, Ahsan Jan, 1988. Building Construction in Mughal India, The evidence from Painting, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ramakrishnan, Geetha, 1996. "A Struggle Within A Struggle: The Unionization of Women in the Informal Sector in Tamil Nadu." from Speaking Out,Women’s Economic Empowerment in South Asia, eds Marilyn Carr, Martha Chen, and Renana Jhabvala, London: IT Publications, 167-182. Ramaswary, Vijaya, 1999. "Aspects of Women and Work in Early South India," ed by Kumkum Roy. Women in Early Indian Societies, New Delhi:Manohar Publishers & Distributors :150-171 Sen, Geeti, 1984. Paintings from the Akbar nama : a visual chronicle of Mughal India, Varanasi, India : Lustre Press under arrangement with Rupa, Calcutta. Shah, Kirtee, 2002. "Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction in Developing Countries. "www.sustainablesettlement.co.za/ policy/postionpapers.html Shah, Vinata, 1996. Room for Improvement: Women Building Workers - An Area Study in Bombay, NICMAR Publications. Shiva, Vandana, 1991. The Violence of the Green revolution: Third World Agriculture, Ecology and Politics. Penang, Malaysia: Third World Press. Singh, Ranjit, 2001. "7th AsiaConstruct Expo: Building India with International Cooperation." www.indianpurchase.com/magonline/construction/200222/article1.htm Sridhar, Susan, 2002. Chennai Street Corner Meetings," Hindu Times 4/30/02 www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/ 04/30/stories/2002043000010100.htm Srivinas, Smita 2001, Social Security for Construction Workers: State Innovation in India. www.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/11/11.800/www (pdf) Swarup, P.R. 2003. "Message." in unpublished conference proceedings of the First International Seminar on Skill Upgradation of Women Workers in a Globalizing Construction Industry, SEWA, 2003, p. 14. "Tamil Nadu Construction Workers Struggle for Welfare Board Promises," People’s Voice, Internet Edition, Dec 1-15, 2002. www.cgpi.org/pv151202.htm Unni, Jeemol, 2003, "Construction Workers in India, A Work Profile," in unpublished conference proceedings of the First International Seminar on Skill Upgradation of Women Workers in a Globalizing Construction Industry, SEWA, 2003, p. 116-122. Vaid, K.N., 1999. 'Contract Labour in the Construction Industry in India', in D.P.A. Naidu (ed.) Contract Labour in South Asia, ILO Geneva, Bureau for Workers' Activities. Varghese, M.M. 2000."Latest Construction Machineries and Equipment," Construction World online. www.indiaconstruction.com/ConstructionWorld/july/coverstor.htm Wells, Jill (2003). "Experiences of Women in Construction," in unpublished conference proceedings of the First International Seminar on Skill Upgradation of Women Workers in a Globalizing Construction Industry, SEWA, 2003, p. 34-46. Wells, Jill (2004). "Women in Construction in the Developing World," in Women in Construction, Linda Clarke, Elsbet Fryendal Pederson, Elisabeth Michielsens, Barbara Susman, Christine Wall, eds., Brussels: CLR/Reed Business Information. p 66-78. |