preview

Social Evils In Norma Rae : The Standard Of History

Decent Essays

The idea that life is getting better post-industrial revolution can be controversial. It is true that it has led to the rise in the material standard of living and an increased life-expectancy for the average person. However, several social evils threaten the positive work created by industrialization; poverty, inequality, and labor disputes (fear of unions) among them. The movie Norma Rae does a tremendous job showcasing working conditions in the 1900s. Oftentimes, employees were overworked, underpaid, and forced to work in hazardous environments. It is evident that industries such as the textile industry, cared very little about the well-being of their employees. Take Norma Rae’s father, for instance, he literally worked-himself to death. What’s very important about this movie is that it showcased how fearful of unions employees were; not because Unions did not do them good, but because they were manipulated by employers to think that unions were evil. As a result, labor disputes continued to increase. Nevertheless, we see the importance of Unions in the shirt-waist factory. Like the textile factory that Norma Rae worked in, women in the shirt-waist factory were getting poor wages with dangerous working conditions. Women were locked in their bays for hours on end, oftentimes unable to use the restroom. Poor working conditions lead to the loss of lives. If labor unions were in place back then, employers would have been forced to provide safe working conditions to

Get Access