Transnational Tradeswomen is a road trip, set off by the question of how the situation of women in the US in the construction industry compares to women doing construction work in the global South. Women in many parts of Asia have been doing construction labor for centuries, yet they are losing their jobs. The story this film tells disturbs the notion many people hold, that modernization, education and technology result in gender equality and progress. A sequence from a workshop on construction workers during the Beijing Conference in 1995 introduces women from Denmark Bermuda, Japan, Afghanistan, India and Thailand discussing each of their situations. The delegate from India, the renowned activist Ruth Manorama, urged women from the industrialized countries to come to India to see the problems faced by her countrywomen to build solidarity between workers from different countries. The subsequent sections follow the director's footsteps as she travels to Thailand, India, Singapore, and Taiwan, where her hosts help her shoot on construction sites and workers' homes, at workers associations where they exist, and meet with scholars and activists involved in organizing women workers. Segments on Pakistan and Japan were shot by filmmakers in those countries who collaborated on the project. The Japanese scenes feature a short glimpse into the life of a single mother plumber and a proud truck driver, after which 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.'

Forms: Documentary
Genres: Educational, Human Rights, Independent, Road Trip, Culture
Niches: Asian, Asian American, Gay/Lesbian, Third World, Women, Senior/Aging, Mature/Adult