Nepal
Nepali with English subtitles
[Nepali title]: “Didilai didiko sandesh”
The ‘Didi to didi’ project is a film written for domestic workers by domestic workers in Nepal. The film explores the hidden issues and constraints domestic workers face daily, yet are unable to validate with a community of workers due to the relative isolation of their working conditions. This film ‘acts’ upon the domestic work industry by breaking down information silos which keep women in the dark on the norms and conditions that pervade their own work. Through the questions and advice format, the film ultimately inspires and encourages domestic workers in Nepal and around the world on themes of agency, economic equality and dignity of work.
"The film explores the relational and material processes shaping domestic work through the experiences of six domestic workers in a city of Nepal. It highlights the separation of domestic workers from one another, and the information gaps which can marginalize women from understanding and bargaining for better conditions in their work. The film gives a window into the experience of domestic work by sharing a hypothetical conversation between domestic workers, and the questions or advice they have for one another. Questions which women have foregrounded in the film include how other domestic workers relate to time pressure (and a lack of control over their own time), the relationship between employers and employees (including by what names employers call domestic workers), the coping mechanisms women turn to due to their low salaries, as well as how families navigate child workers. The advice section is a call, from one domestic worker to another, to claim more overt labor agency despite the challenges and unfreedoms which often characterize the workplace for workers. Women’s advice alludes to the many constraints and exploitative conditions they find themselves in, but shows the ways they cope with or challenge the current status quo.
My research explores the domestic work industry in Hetauda, Nepal, examining the institutions, inequalities and power dynamics which have enabled this industry to emerge and continue in recent years. The findings of the research concentrate around women’s labor market decisions into and through domestic work, characterizing the relationship and agencies of employers and employees, and developing theory which understands the labor market processes of domestic work which are co-produced through socially reproductive labor and ‘productive’ labor.
During this broader project, it became clear that women desired to speak with other domestic workers about their experiences, but didn’t have an outlet to do so. The film was developed to contribute to this need, and thus, focuses on the key pieces of information domestic workers choose to share, rather than communicating the broader research findings. In this process, academic, practitioner and policy-making audiences have a window into the key pieces of information domestic workers may be missing, as well as the key obstacles they are currently overcoming, or have learned to overcome through their work.
Film making added to my project by allowing my research to go beyond my own intellectual interests, and respond to a real need for connection and collaboration my research participants were expressing. Challenges included finding the time in women’s extremely busy work schedules to shoot the film, as well as ensuring consent was ethically and clearly obtained not only from domestic workers but also from their employers, given that we largely filmed in women’s workplaces. Future challenges will include getting the film in front of as many domestic workers as possible through social media, as the film’s key objective is to reach and encourage otherwise difficult to find domestic workers."