Sweatshops
Flexible Specialisation and the persistence of the sweatshop
Sweatshops are known to be a mass of workers mass-producing goods they may never be able to afford themselves. The sweatshop rose to meaning as work moved off the farm and into the city, and employers found a limitless amount of so called labourers to make their products. The low entry costs and high labour intensity linked with the textile industry tended to concentrate sweatshops in clothing production. As industrialization grew, labour markets tightened and workplace regulations strengthened, pushing the sweatshop out of the mainstream of the economy for the time being. The dominance of free trade and globalization in the late 20th century has led to the rebirth of the sweatshop, in developing and developed nations. With approval and a helpful push from national governments, the sweatshop has returned, with conditions frequently as bad as when they first appeared.
The US General Accounting Office defines "sweatshop" as an "employer that violates more than one federal or state labour law governing minimum wage and overtime, child labour, industrial homework, occupational safety and health, workers’ compensation, or industry regulation."
Even though the US General Accounting Office definition of "sweatshop" provides an accurate, legal interpretation of the term, the sweatshop can occur in many forms. In the words of historian Leon Stein, "The sweatshop is a state of mind as well as a physical fact… The sweatshop, whether in a modern factory building or a dark slum cellar, exists where the employer controls the working conditions and the worker cannot protest." which maintains this sense of prejudice.
Sweatshops can be traced back to the textile industry of England, New England, and New York in the 1840s. Prior to 1850, the Massachusetts textile industry employed more homeworkers than factory workers, appealing a largely rural population in non-agricultural labour. It seemed an unlimited supply of
Sweatshops are known to be a mass of workers mass-producing goods they may never be able to afford themselves. The sweatshop rose to meaning as work moved off the farm and into the city, and employers found a limitless amount of so called labourers to make their products. The low entry costs and high labour intensity linked with the textile industry tended to concentrate sweatshops in clothing production. As industrialization grew, labour markets tightened and workplace regulations strengthened, pushing the sweatshop out of the mainstream of the economy for the time being. The dominance of free trade and globalization in the late 20th century has led to the rebirth of the sweatshop, in developing and developed nations. With approval and a helpful push from national governments, the sweatshop has returned, with conditions frequently as bad as when they first appeared.
The US General Accounting Office defines "sweatshop" as an "employer that violates more than one federal or state labour law governing minimum wage and overtime, child labour, industrial homework, occupational safety and health, workers’ compensation, or industry regulation."
Even though the US General Accounting Office definition of "sweatshop" provides an accurate, legal interpretation of the term, the sweatshop can occur in many forms. In the words of historian Leon Stein, "The sweatshop is a state of mind as well as a physical fact… The sweatshop, whether in a modern factory building or a dark slum cellar, exists where the employer controls the working conditions and the worker cannot protest." which maintains this sense of prejudice.
Sweatshops can be traced back to the textile industry of England, New England, and New York in the 1840s. Prior to 1850, the Massachusetts textile industry employed more homeworkers than factory workers, appealing a largely rural population in non-agricultural labour. It seemed an unlimited supply of