Working Women of the World 2000
Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Latitudes Production
Directed by Marie France Collard
VHS, color, 53 min.
College - Adult
Women's Studies, Labor Relations
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Ayodele Ojumu, Graduate Student, Department of Library and Information Studies, University at Buffalo, State University of New York Ojumu, State University of New York College at FredoniaUsing Levi Strauss & Co. as the example, Women of the Working World traces the relocation of this company from France to the Philippines. Filmed in Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, France, and Belgium, this documentary exposes the treatment of garment production employees. Through personal accounts, presented in English subtitles, of those who constitute the majority of its employees – women – the viewer will learn of the conditions which plague these women daily: low wages, strenuous schedules, ambiguous contracts, and the constant threat of job loss due to company relocation and/or closure. Maria Therese, former employee and union representative in the Levi factory in Yser La Basse, France, conducts interviews, describes the conditions of the industry and wage structure, as well as discusses the negotiations she made with management and the government. The content of this film is brief, yet informative. I recommend this video for academic libraries, specifically those that support a women’s studies program.