Pakistan shares many of patterns of construction in India, using labor-intensive methods. Women are also employed in this industry, especially among certain cultural groups, like the Odhs. Some studies of women who work in construction, brick manufacturing, and mining in Pakistan are available. Yameema Mitha did a comprehensive study in the 1990's (reference below). I was able to feature a small segment about women construction workers in Pakistan because of the work of Sobia Aslam, a broadcast journalist in Lahore.
Links and resources.
Stills from the film
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| In Pakistan, there are several different groups who work in construction, both women and men. Kausar, pictured in both of these photos, works as a laborer on the outskirts of Lahore. | Many construction workers in this part of Pakistan are from the group known as the Rajput Odhs. | |
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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? 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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