Free Paper Sample on Exploitative World of Sweatshops

Introduction

The operation of sweetshops dates backs to the sixteenth century. However, studies uncovered the operation of sweetshops in Britain in 1989. At around 1830s -40s, sweatshops workers started migrating to the united states, where they established sweatshops in their residences. Despite the poor working conditions, the outsiders needed the work, and they were grateful (Garyfalakis). Today, sweatshops are found in low developed countries with no worker protection laws. Workers in sweatshops are mostly children and women, and they are usually subjected to long working hours, poor remuneration, and poor working conditions. The multinational corporations are typically accused of using sweatshops to cut labor costs without paying attention to the associated human costs.

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Importing Products

The operation of the sweatshops in the underdeveloped countries has triggered a lot of controversy over importing products from the countries named above. The prospects of operation of sweatshops argue that sweatshops lead to improved living conditions and the expansion of opportunities in the underdeveloped countries. However, the opponents of the sweatshops' operation argue that sweatshops lead to the irresponsibility of companies in hiring labor, hence contributing to the deterioration of the working conditions. According to (Riley 2017), work alternatives from sweatshops are usually worse. The fact that people choose to work in sweatshops, areas characterized by unhealthy conditions like exploitation and exposure to diseases, shows that working conditions at sweatshops are usually better alternatives in the respective regions. In “No Sweat," Rubi Garyfalakis argued that working in sweatshops can be a positive experience for women in undeveloped countries. Working in sweatshops gives women freedom in third-world countries by protecting them from enslavement, undesired professions like prostitution, and forced marriages. Moreover, sweatshops enable women in the countries mentioned above to earn a little income to finance their expenses and enjoy a better life.

Firstly, sweatshops play a critical role in bettering the lives of women and children in third world countries. (Riley, 2017) reported that despite having poor conditions, sweatshops gives a working opportunity to women and children who only have worse alternatives. According to (Bressán, 2018), “most people working on the sweatshops only have an alternative of working in the agricultural sector, particularly the subsistence farming, which has been reported as the worst line of work worldwide.” Opportunity to work in the sweatshops protects women and children from the enslavement and less desired professions like prostitution. For instance, (Rahm & Rakhmawati, 2019) illustrate that in 1993, US senator Tom Harkin suggested a sanction on imports from countries employing children in sweatshops. The ban seemed to be noble and just. However, in his response to the suggestion, Oxfam reported that a Bangladesh company fired its workers, and a considerable number of children become prostitutes as a result of unemployment.

Improvement of Living Conditions

Secondly, sweatshops contribute to the improvement of living conditions in third world countries. (Sarpong, 2018) show that “working conditions are relative.” The working conditions in the sweatshops might be poor based on other nations' standards but attractive in third-world countries like Bangladesh. Sweat shop workers receive unimaginably low wages in the context of the developed societies. Wages earned from Sweat shops may be too low to fund living expenses in countries like the UK. However, a study by (Sarpong 2018) reported that the sweat shops' wages were more than the national wage average in 80% of the countries he surveyed. The fact that sweat shop pays more than that national wage average is proof that sweatshops improve peoples' living conditions by giving them enough income to use and invest the surplus, thereby improving the living standards of their respective nations. Sweatshops give numerous economic and social opportunities to the women in the undeveloped countries. (Rahm & Rakhmawati, 2019) indicate that the money earned from the sweatshops is used to further women's education, access better healthcare, and other social amenities.

Moreover, sweatshops enhance women’s social lives by protecting them from getting into early and forced marriages. A study by (Sarpong 2018) assessed the garment industry's implications on women and young girls in Bangladesh. The study reported that adolescent girls living near the garment factories, also referred to as the sweatshops, were less likely to get unwanted pregnancies and get into early marriages than the average Bangladesh girls. The study conducted on school girls aged twelve to eighteen years revealed that girls living near sweatshops were 28% less likely to get married in their school years and 29% less likely to get pregnant during the same period compared to the average Bangladesh girls.

Furthermore, sweatshops enhance the economic status of women in third world countries. Sweatshops enhance women's economic empowerment by allowing them to move from the subsistence sector and earn surplus income, which can be reinvested to curb poverty (Riley, 2017). Curbing poverty emphasizes the role of sweatshops in enhancing the economic development of women and third-world nations.

Conclusion

In summary, sweatshops play a crucial role in improving women's economic lives in third-world countries. This role is evidenced in the sweatshops' contribution to giving women better jobs, preventing them from getting early pregnancies, and forced marriages. Sweatshops also give women opportunities over the less preferred professions, hence protecting the dignity of the women. Despite being characterized by poor working conditions, sweatshops should not be outlawed due to their contribution to the improvement of women and third-world economies.

References

Sarpong, S. (2018). Sweatshops and a duty of care: to what extent? The case of Bangladesh. In Stakeholders, Governance, and Responsibility. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Bressán, J. M. (2018). Local sweatshops in the global economy: Accumulation dynamics and the manufacturing of a reserve army. In Global Perspectives on Workers' and Labour Organizations (pp. 63-84). Springer, Singapore.

Riley, O. (2017, March 20). How sweatshop helps the poor. Retrieved from
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/how-sweatshops-help-the-poor.

Rahma, N., & Rakhmawati, A. F. (2019, November). Race to the Bottom: Sweatshop Industry Existence in Bangladesh and Its Impact on Social-Cultural. In the ASEAN/Asian Academic Society International Conference Proceeding Series (pp. 548-552).