ipl-logo

Why Are Sweatshops Necessary Evil

3408 Words14 Pages

Are sweatshops a necessary evil?
When people mention the term sweatshops, the images that automatically come to mind are those of factories filled with people laboring away, often working many hours a day for very low wages, in a sweltering environment that is not conducive, to say the least. Given how technology and the world have advanced and progressed over the years, why is it that conditions for sweatshops seem to have stagnated and remained the same since the 1800s? This paper therefore aims to look at what are the reasons for sweatshops to still be in use until today, what ethical concerns revolve around the topic of sweatshops, and whether there are alternatives to the current situation. Could it be despite how grim the working conditions appear to be, that sweatshops are actually a necessity?
History of Sweatshops
Sweatshops have been around for a long time, and an example of it in earlier days would be the textile mills found in Ecuador where Spanish conquerors put the native population to work …show more content…

Given the harsh working conditions that workers are put through, such as long working hours, consecutive working days without rest, and often even abuse and torture, workers are simply not paid enough in return. To begin, minimum wage levels in countries such as Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia are significantly lower than that of the United States. The federal minimum wage per hour in the United States stands at US$7.25, while it is US$1.22 in Thailand, US$0.72 in Philippines and US$0.50 in Indonesia (Wikipedia, n.d.). And yet workers are still frequently paid less than these minimums, at amounts that are barely sufficient to survive on even after considering the lower cost of living. Though many of the developing Asian countries have official minimum wage levels, the lack of reinforcements and regulations remain a huge problem (Wong,

Show More
Related

  • How Did The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Of 1911

    1302 Words  | 6 Pages

    Recent studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor found that 67% of Los Angeles garment factories and 63% of New York garment factories violate minimum wage and overtime laws. Ninety-eight percent of Los

    Read More

  • The Tragedy Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Labor

    809 Words  | 4 Pages

    Up until the early 20th century, American labor laws did not protect employees and work environments were not monitored for unsafe conditions. Factories were allowed to run without proper fire exits, ventilation, pay, breaks and even children were forced into labor. These unsafe conditions came crashing down just before the end of the workday on March 25th, 1911 in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. In just under 30 minutes, 146 lives perished (Benin). Today, we call these factories “sweatshops” and they are primarily found in countries that lack laws enforcing proper working conditions.

    Read More

  • What Is The Significance Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

    1000 Words  | 4 Pages

    Introduction The fire that erupted at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City is remembered as one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The infamous incident claimed 146 lives of young immigrant workers due to negligent safety precautions. To this day this incident has continued to have great significance because it highlights the inhumane working conditions that industrial workers have to be subjected to. Sweatshops before 1911

    Read More

  • Phl 320 Labour Practice Research Paper

    873 Words  | 4 Pages

    Labor Practice Paper Angelia Henry PHL/320 May 2, 2016 Bridget Peaco Labor Practice Paper Merriam-Webster online defines a sweatshop as a shop or factory where employees work long at a low wage that is under poor and unhealthy conditions (Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary, 2016). Sweatshops are factories that violate two or more labor laws to include wages, benefits, child labor or even working hours (Ember, 2014-2015). Companies will attempt to use sweatshop labor to lessen the cost to meet the demands of customers. When we think of sweatshop, we always want to look at third world countries and never in our own backyard. In 2012, the company Forever 21 was sued by the US Department of Labor for ignoring a subpoena requesting the information on how much it pays its workers just to make clothes (Lo,

    Read More

  • The Legitimacy Of Government Intervention In The Triangle Factory Fire Case

    1871 Words  | 8 Pages

    Through the lens of intersectionality, we are allowed to see that sweatshop workers experienced double oppressions from structural racism and structural sexism that limited their choices of occupations and class inequality that exaggerated imbalanced power between laborers

    Read More

  • What Is Johnson's Strategies For Reconstruction

    852 Words  | 4 Pages

    The most frequent somber setback for sweatshop workers was being without a job. It was ordinary for a laborer, predominantly untrained, to be out of an occupation for a portion of the

    Read More

  • Summary Of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

    754 Words  | 4 Pages

    Having traveled to Guatemala and seeing how most people live in third world countries the fact that well know American companies treat their oversees employees so poorly makes me angry. While in Guatemala many of the people there would work multiple jobs and still don’t make enough to be able to support their families. Their working conditions that I saw were terrible and their living conditions were not favorable just like the ones that were showed in the Nike sweatshop video. Although many people are looking for work in these third world countries to support their families, companies need to respect them and give the workers what is deserved. I believe that sweatshops still exist today, it’s changed from over time and they all have moved overseas because there are not many global laws that prevent against the harsh working conditions for these

    Read More

  • Gilded Age Essay

    1577 Words  | 7 Pages

    The work was also dangerous with not much supervising by the government. Workers, on the other hand, had little or even no bargaining power to leave the unsafe conditions. Nowadays, When Americans only pay attention when extreme work strike, levels of abuse are the norm hidden in the factories around the globe. Although the condition seems much improved, consumers don’t know the true fact- “Today, American citizens simply cannot know the working conditions of the factories that make the products they buy.

    Read More

  • Dbq Child Labor In The Late 1800s And Early 1900

    502 Words  | 3 Pages

    The definition of sweatshops is “a shop or factory in which employees work for

    Read More

  • Sweatshops Impact On Society

    1825 Words  | 8 Pages

    How have sweatshops benefitted society or caused harm to it? This research paper will identify and analyse the significance of sweatshops, reasons for its prevalence and compare its positive and negative impacts on society. Literature review A sweatshop is a term for a workplace that violates local or international labour laws, such as providing workers with atrocious working conditions and minimal compensation (New World Encyclopedia, 2008).

    Read More

  • Meatpacking Workers In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle

    1060 Words  | 5 Pages

    The main goal of businesses, in the growing manufacturing economy, was to produce the most product at the cheapest price. With a large influx of desperate immigrants looking for jobs, companies were able to quickly capitalize on the rights of vain workers. Viewing as them as easily replaceable, owners were easily able to take advantage of the rights of workers and utilize them to their advantage. The desperation prevalent in those willing to take the jobs that nobody else wanted supplied labor to factories, often for a high price. Worker’s rights were often manipulated in the industries exemplified throughout The Jungle.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Slavery And Serfdom

    858 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is an obvious truth that in order to have a functioning society, there must be workers. In modern, first world countries, labors are paid well and are reasonably treated. However, some third world nations use an economic model harkening back to older times—slavery and serfdom. Between 1450 and 1750, European countries in the Caribbean and in the Old World utilized two forms of cheap labor—slavery and serfdom—to line their coffers and feed their populace. In the Caribbean, slavery was preferred; but in Russia, serfdom ruled.

    Read More

  • Business Ethics: Ethical Ethics In Sweatshops

    1139 Words  | 5 Pages

    Let’s go back to China. China contains thousands of sweatshop factories, employing millions of personnel. The country currently has the 2nd largest economy in the world, right behind the United States. In addition, the countries with the largest population of sweatshops control about a quarter of global economy. Sweatshops provide employment to millions of workers across the globe, regardless of the pay.

    Read More

  • Essay On Ethical Issues In The Fashion Industry

    959 Words  | 4 Pages

    In garment factories in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Brazil and even Mexico the people who make our clothes live in poverty. They work long hours for very little pay. Because many garment factories are located in poor, developing countries, such as Bangladesh and Cambodia, a culture of trade unions is often non-existent and workers are banned from collective bargaining with authorities for fairer wages and working conditions. With growing living costs in housing, food, clothing, education, transport and healthcare, the minimum wages set by their governments simply is not enough.

    Read More

  • Sweatshops Research Paper

    1269 Words  | 6 Pages

    And, unfortunately, it’s more prevalent in America than many may believe. When defining what exactly a sweatshop is and what it consists of, there are many forms that it has taken over the many decades of America’s existence. The basic definition of a sweatshop is a factory in which its employees, many being children, are exploited; working long hours in extreme cases of hazardous and unhealthful conditions for little pay. Despite the fact this is a

    Read More

More about Why Are Sweatshops Necessary Evil

Open Document