Maid in America was a very eye opening film. I had never thought about domestic workers in the U.S. as a feminist issue, but it really is. After seeing how painful it was for Judith to be away from her daughters, while taking care of someone else, and also being pregnant, it became clear how unique this situation is to a woman. It really reminded me of apartheid South Africa when black women would travel long distances to be nannies to white families, sometimes having to live near the house instead of their own home, and they were more mothers to someone else's children than their own. It is so frustrating to see that, but at the same time, the three women in the video were so hopeful. Eva is determined to be an accountant, what she studied, Judith wants to return to the U.S. with her daughters and Thelma is thankful for the family she is working for because she says they do treat her like family (she is basically the mother).
I feel compelled to really look more into this after seeing this movie. I didn't think I would be this interested in feminism in labor, but this topic really makes me want to do something.
* I don't know why this wasn't showing up on the blog, I had it saved as a word doc so I really did write it back in March
I'd like to echo a few things you just said... I hadn't thought of this really as an issue, let alone a feminist issue (pardon my ignorance). It's just nothing that I really thought about, and the more I did, the worse I felt about it.
Their requests for visas are ignored by the government, looked over by the media, looked over by employers, and looked over by the family they work for. This work environment can truly be sub-human.
I find myself questioning like A did in their blog post too. I really asked a few
questions to myself about the movie and their experiences.