Notebook, 2006.
Many women in rural Indonesia work as farmers, either on their family's fields or for hire, earning one dollar a day. Malang, East Java, Indonesia. 2006.
Suprianto, 27, is the primary caretaker for his 4 year old daughter Abigail. His wife, Widyaningsih, 27, has been working in Singapore for two years. Balearjo, East Java, Indonesia. 2006.
Sari, 28, and Nuryani, 20, begin their journey to a labor recruitment agency in Jakarta to be trained as domestic workers. Karawang, Indonesia. 2006.
A labor recruiter measures a new recruit to prepare a biodata that will be shared with prospective employers. Typically, biodatas include a woman's picture, height, weight, marital status, and experience. Malang, East Java, Indonesia. 2006.
Young women learn cooking as part of their preparation to be domestic workers, Pt. Asricepta Tenaga Karya Training Center. Malang, East Java, Indonesia. 2006.
Young women wait for their labor agent in a special section of Hang Nadim airport for domestic workers. Their short hair, and at times, matching uniforms, often sets them apart from other passengers. Batam, Indonesia. 2006.
Advertisement in front of a maid agency in a shopping center. Many agencies compete for prospective clients by offering low agency fees. Typically, as the agency fee for employers drops, the cost is shifted to the recruitment fees paid by domestic workers, who may labor for eight months without a salary to repay these costs. Singapore. 2006.
A prospective employer sifts through biodatas for domestic workers provided by a Singaporean employment agent. Singapore. 2006.
Mina, 27, washes the windows at a high-rise condominium. Approximately 150 domestic workers have fallen to their deaths from high-rise buildings in Singapore in the last several years, half of these attributed to workplace accidents and half to suicide. Mina is a few days from finishing her second contract with plans to return to her husband and child in Indonesia. Singapore. 2006.
Notebook, 2006.
Sri (not her real name), 27, whose employer in the Middle East abused her, recovers at a hospital in Jakarta. Her employer punched her in the ears repeatedly and used spoons and forks to create the scars on her arm. Sri did not receive any salary during the eight months of her employment and is worried about how she will repay her recruitment loan when she returns home. Jakarta, Indonesia. 2006.
Sri (not her real name), 27, whose employer in the Middle East abused her, recovers at a hospital in Jakarta. Her employer punched her in the ears repeatedly and used spoons and forks to create the scars on her arm. Sri did not receive any salary during the eight months of her employment and is worried about how she will repay her recruitment loan when she returns home. Jakarta, Indonesia. 2006.