Sweatshops are, by definition: a factory or workshop where manual workers are employed at very low wages and work in poor living conditions. They are commonly believed to be completely dreadful and unfavorable, but they have both pros and cons, as most things do. They offer people wages, no matter how low or high, it’s still a relatively stable source of income. But then again, sweatshops are still not ideal, with the treatment of their workers and all. It really depends on whose perspective you are looking from.
Sweatshops are better than nothing. Sure, sweatshops are known for their low wages, poor working conditions and lousy treatment of their workers… but, compared to what? What we compare it to can change people’s perspectives. Take
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Sweatshops are cruel, that much is true. But, it’s a much-needed stepping stone in the development of a country. Take look at the USA, Great Britain, and Germany in the 1700 - 1850’s. Sweatshops were common in those days. But look at how those three countries look like right now, living conditions are good on average and people are earning a relatively reasonable wage. It took them 150 or so years to become the developed countries we see today. But, when these countries were developing, civilization had to be developed, new technologies had to be discovered and things had to be created anew. But now, all the needed technology is out there, which means that future development for other countries will be much quicker. Sweatshops are the foundation for developing a …show more content…
Of course, there are still many places where sweatshops should be improved on. But sweatshops make the citizens of undeveloped countries better off than they would be without them. Critics all over the world will argue that sweatshops violate human rights and give less than the minimum wage requirement, but Great Britain, Germany, the USA all walked the same path, and they stand today as fully developed countries. Sweatshops are the bad, that work for the
A sweatshop is defined as a factory where manual workers are employed at very low wages for long hours in unsafe working environments (Oxford Dictionary, 2011). Sweatshops are especially associated with clothing industries, such as Nike, Gap, Walmart, Primemark and other brand names. Sweatshop history begins in 1830 with clothing factories in New York City and London, even then the working conditions were poor, e.g. rat infestation. Since the 1850s worker unions have improved “sweatshops” conditions in the first world, and the term “sweatshop” is more associated with factories in the developing world. The statement that ‘sweatshops in developing countries are better than no jobs’ has many arguments for and against them, which will be
Time and time again, there have been opposing views on just about every single possible topic one could fathom. From the most politically controversial topics of gun control and stem cell research to the more mundane transparent ones of brown or white rice and hat or no hat—it continues. Sweatshops and the controversy surrounding them is one that is unable to be put into simplistic terms, for sweatshops themselves are complex. The grand debate of opposing views in regards to sweatshops continues between two writers who both make convincing arguments as to why and how sweatshops should or should not be dealt with. In Sweat, Fire and Ethics, by Bob Jeffcott, he argues that more people ought to worry less about the outer layers of sweatshops and delve deeper into the real reason they exist and the unnecessariness of them. In contrast, Jeffrey D. Sachs writes of the urgent requirement of sweatshops needed during the industrialization time in a developing country, in his article of Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development. The question is then asked: How do sweatshops positively and negatively affect people here in the United States of America and in other countries around the world?
Bob Jeffcott supports the effort of workers of the global supply chains in order to win improved wages and good working conditions and a better quality of life of those who work on sweatshops. He mentions and describes in detail how the conditions of the sweatshops are and how the people working in them are forced to long working hours for little money. He makes the question, “we think we can end sweatshops abuses by just changing our
First, sweatshops have poor working conditions. Examples of poor working conditions are factories are not ventilated; no toilets, have to work for longer hours, there is no emergency exists and minimum wages are given. There are some owners of sweatshops who forced their employees to work for longer hours but pay a minimum wage. This is proved in a case called Two Cheers for Sweatshops, Mongkol’s daughter had to work for nine hours straight but she is only paid $2 a day. She also works six days in a week. The poor working conditions actually can affect a person mental and physical
When asked about the working condition in sweatshops, business advocates say that even though wages and work conditions may look mediocre by the standard developed nations,
In this article from the Different Mirror , In the sweatshops people were subjected to harsh treatments, when they had to go to the bathroom they were followed to make sure they made it quick. people received their wages based on their group which meant even if you worked very hard if the next person was slow there is northing you could do about it which I think was unfair , none should received their wages base on everyone else because not everyone is are working or needs money the same. The sweatshops gave everyone a chance a at job which is a great thing as not all immigrants know how to make a dress or handle a needle and therefore hearing the unskilled helped and disadvantaged those who knew the work.Working condition at the sweatshops
Almost everyone knows sweatshops are not acceptable places to work or support. Sweatshops, per definition from the International Labor Organization are organizations that violate more than two labor laws (Venkidaslam). There are several arguments against sweatshops. First, is that these organizations exploit their workers. They provide them low wages and some pay below the minimum wage of the home nation. Moreover, these workers are forced to work more than 60 hours per week and are mandated to work overtime. In addition, workers are subjected to unsafe environments and sexual abuse. Finally, sweatshops are known for their child labor, where children below the legal working age are paid extremely small wages. Anyone who is against sweatshops will say, choosing to partner with these organizations are unethical.
This text became immediately implemented to a target market that has slender view of that sweatshops equal unfair pay and unfair remedy, but Kristof's article helps explains to his audience that sweatshops are an exceedingly safe and efficient process to households in growing international locations. The author attempts to persuade the audience to inspire greater sweatshops to be constructed in third world countries. Kristof
Sweatshop Labor is a term for a workplace that has poor and unacceptable working conditions. The work may be underpaid, difficult or dangerous. This is the type of labor where pay is almost non-existent, and is running the potential of many young children worldwide. It has been defined by the United States department of Labor as "a factory that violates two or more labor laws." Disregarding the conditions and age requirements that we find acceptable, people who live and work there don’t always think of sweatshops as negatively. Their other choices of employment are: prostitution, farming, and crime. It’s a controversial issue to whether or not sweatshops should remain open and for what reasons. In my opinion although sweatshops are very common
Most people believe that if they’re employed it provides them with a way of living life. When talking about sweatshops as a job the story completely changes. People don't have the knowledge of what goes on daily in a sweatshop. Think of the workers who get fined and punished for mistakes they made. Also those who complain about the conditions are beaten and abused. Cases of physical, sexual, and verbal abuse are common to be reported. Sweatshop workers should not be allowed to continue to work under the current conditions of earning low wages , interference with children's education also including the improper training given.
largely beneficial in the lives of the working people. While workers in sweatshops are extremely willing to work in sweatshops, individuals in western nations often advocate for the abolishment of sweatshops. Individuals in the west who argue against sweatshops are often arguing for the interest of dominant groups in society. Arguing against developing countries trying to build their living standards and happiness through low wage production and manufacturing, is actually individuals and groups wanting jobs to stay in the wealthy nations instead of being sent off to low cost nations (Spath, 2002, pg. 125). Advocating for the abolishment of sweatshops is placing a barrier on an individual’s right to work (Danaher & Henderson, 2001, pg. 128).
Coming from The Republic of Ghana, I know firsthand that sweatshops and the child labor that takes place in them can be both dehumanizing and destructive. However, I also understand the benefits of sweatshops. Despite all the facts that prove that sweatshops and the child labor that happens in them are bad, the truth of the matter is that some places have now become so dependent on the income they are receiving from sweatshops that there is no alternative in their minds. In addition, some kids have already fallen too far behind to return back to school.
Sweatshops have very poor working conditions, the workers get paid very little, many people are forced to work there including a huge number of children, workers have to work long hours and do not get breaks, and the factories are also unsafe for people to work in.
The working conditions for people (primarily victims of third world countries) who work in a basic sweatshop are undeniable worse than normal industrial factories. From poorly constructed air quality to extreme heat, which in absolute cases have caused numerous accidents. In extreme measures, even physical or sexual abuse has happened between workers.
Many people who believe sweatshops create poverty should be informed that sweatshops are a way for people to leave a life of poverty. In an interview with Kristof, a woman, a dumpster scavenger who doesn’t work in a sweatshop, confesses, “’I’d love to get a job in a factory’…‘At least that work is in the shade. Here is where it’s hot’” (2009). Contrary to what most people (who live in first world countries) believe, working in a sweatshop is a dream in a third world country. Kristof finds that working in a sweatshop is the best alternative compared to other possible jobs in the third world country. Not only do the sweatshop workers’ purchasing power increase since they would get