Why Are Sweatshops Wrong
As an American born and raised in a stable democracy I thought I was going to write an essay in opposition of black-market sweatshops, but I was wrong. Americans have been brought up to see sweatshops as immoral and degrading. We 've only seen one side of the story and that ideal has been reinforced for generations. Learning about sweatshops from another point of view has opened my eyes. I still see sweatshops as corrupt but also a necessary evil. For all the misery they can engender, sweatshops at least offer a precarious escape from the poverty that is the developing world 's greatest problem.
Globalization has caused an increase in sweatshop labor, which benefits the economies of developing nations and the standard of living of the sweatshop …show more content…
laborers despite some detrimental effects. It is true that many sweatshops deny what Americans define as "human rights." Denying bathroom breaks, exposing children to dangerous chemicals and other unsafe working environments, dismissing anyone who attempts to organize a union, and forcing overtime are just some forms of brutality. To sway Americans against the benefits of sweatshops we often hear horror stories of this mistreatment but such cases or not the "normal" sweatshop. Workers and their families are not indifferent to such suffering they simply have a different perspective when it came to what constitutes desirable work.
It surprised me people in third world countries are eager work long hours. They see it as an advantage because it offers them a chance to earn more money. In the economic turmoil of developing countries children are proud to able to contribute to the well being of their family. It is hard for an American to believe that the poor in these countries accept sweatshop employment. However, the pay is higher and the conditions no worse than the general alternatives subsistence farming, domestic services, casual manual labor, prostitution, or unemployment.
According to a United Nations report, "improvements in human development... can be sustained over a long time only if supported by economic growth. However, developing countries cannot improve their economics by themselves..." In order to industrialize a developing nation must rely on the developed nations for foreign investment, which in the early stages comes as forms of sweatshop labor. These workers would be aghast at the idea of American consumers boycotting certain toys or clothing in protest of sweatshop labor. The simplest way to help the poor in developing countries would be to buy more from sweatshops not less.
World Bank Economist David L.
Lindauer stated "We know of no case where a nation developed a modern manufacturing sector without first going through a 'sweatshop ' phase." As history shows over time many nations have been able to experience significant economic growth following the implementation of sweatshops within their country. Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan with such labor, were able to jumpstart their economy into the powerhouses that they are today. Success was fast within a generation their national incomes climbed from about ten percent to forty percent of American incomes. Sweatshops act as a stepping-stone to economic development, and it improves the workers standard of living. "An employee of a sweatshop is given the ability to get a higher pay and work in conditions far improved for other sectors of the economy." Linda Lim, a professor at the University of Michigan stated in her research that in general sweatshops pay above-average wages for their country. By implementing sweatshops the economies of developing nations have a stepping-stone from which they are able to build. As most developing nations tend to not have much money or a high skill level among their workforce sweatshops are an ideal solution as they are built because of low capital and skill requirements. By allowing foreign investment in their country by way of sweatshops they are able to acquire the needed capital. This enables the country to provide more for its citizens and attempt to stabilize the prices of goods within the economy. Finally sweatshops aid in attracting more foreign investments, which further fosters economic growth. The development of sweatshops within developing nations enables the countries to experience economic development. Most of the third world population would agree that this opportunity far out weighs the disadvantages of the working
environment.
To further persuade those firmly against the existence of sweatshops think of this. A 40-year-old woman in Cambodia named Nhem Yen, moved to an area with particularly lethal malaria. "We needed to eat," she said. "And here there is wood, so we thought we could cut it and sell it." But then Nhem Yen 's daughter and son-in-law both died of malaria, leaving her with two grandchildren and five children of her own. With just one mosquito net, she had to choose which children would sleep protected and which would sleep exposed.
In Cambodia, a large mosquito net costs five dollars. If there had been a sweatshop in the area, however harsh or dangerous, Nhem Yen would have leapt at the chance to work in it, to earn enough to buy a net big enough to cover all her children. How precious is life? Is saving a family member 's life worth sweat and long hours of demeaning and dangerous work? Americans believe is strong family values. Only those without a heart for humanity would not say yes.
It may sound silly to say sweatshops offer a route to prosperity, when wages in the countries are sometimes less than a dollar a day. Still, for an impoverished Indonesian or Bangladeshi woman with a handful of kids who would otherwise drop out of school and risk dying of mundane diseases like diarrhea, one to two dollars a day can be a life-transforming wage. Sweatshops face strong opposition, but not from its workers. Citizens of developing countries do not have the luxury to renegotiate their contract as we do in America. Sweatshops offer an escape from starvation and a way out of poverty.
Works Cited in order used in text:
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:34 pm
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
Globalization has caused an increase in sweatshop labor, which benefits the economies of developing nations and the standard of living of the sweatshop …show more content…
laborers despite some detrimental effects. It is true that many sweatshops deny what Americans define as "human rights." Denying bathroom breaks, exposing children to dangerous chemicals and other unsafe working environments, dismissing anyone who attempts to organize a union, and forcing overtime are just some forms of brutality. To sway Americans against the benefits of sweatshops we often hear horror stories of this mistreatment but such cases or not the "normal" sweatshop. Workers and their families are not indifferent to such suffering they simply have a different perspective when it came to what constitutes desirable work.
It surprised me people in third world countries are eager work long hours. They see it as an advantage because it offers them a chance to earn more money. In the economic turmoil of developing countries children are proud to able to contribute to the well being of their family. It is hard for an American to believe that the poor in these countries accept sweatshop employment. However, the pay is higher and the conditions no worse than the general alternatives subsistence farming, domestic services, casual manual labor, prostitution, or unemployment.
According to a United Nations report, "improvements in human development... can be sustained over a long time only if supported by economic growth. However, developing countries cannot improve their economics by themselves..." In order to industrialize a developing nation must rely on the developed nations for foreign investment, which in the early stages comes as forms of sweatshop labor. These workers would be aghast at the idea of American consumers boycotting certain toys or clothing in protest of sweatshop labor. The simplest way to help the poor in developing countries would be to buy more from sweatshops not less.
World Bank Economist David L.
Lindauer stated "We know of no case where a nation developed a modern manufacturing sector without first going through a 'sweatshop ' phase." As history shows over time many nations have been able to experience significant economic growth following the implementation of sweatshops within their country. Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan with such labor, were able to jumpstart their economy into the powerhouses that they are today. Success was fast within a generation their national incomes climbed from about ten percent to forty percent of American incomes. Sweatshops act as a stepping-stone to economic development, and it improves the workers standard of living. "An employee of a sweatshop is given the ability to get a higher pay and work in conditions far improved for other sectors of the economy." Linda Lim, a professor at the University of Michigan stated in her research that in general sweatshops pay above-average wages for their country. By implementing sweatshops the economies of developing nations have a stepping-stone from which they are able to build. As most developing nations tend to not have much money or a high skill level among their workforce sweatshops are an ideal solution as they are built because of low capital and skill requirements. By allowing foreign investment in their country by way of sweatshops they are able to acquire the needed capital. This enables the country to provide more for its citizens and attempt to stabilize the prices of goods within the economy. Finally sweatshops aid in attracting more foreign investments, which further fosters economic growth. The development of sweatshops within developing nations enables the countries to experience economic development. Most of the third world population would agree that this opportunity far out weighs the disadvantages of the working
environment.
To further persuade those firmly against the existence of sweatshops think of this. A 40-year-old woman in Cambodia named Nhem Yen, moved to an area with particularly lethal malaria. "We needed to eat," she said. "And here there is wood, so we thought we could cut it and sell it." But then Nhem Yen 's daughter and son-in-law both died of malaria, leaving her with two grandchildren and five children of her own. With just one mosquito net, she had to choose which children would sleep protected and which would sleep exposed.
In Cambodia, a large mosquito net costs five dollars. If there had been a sweatshop in the area, however harsh or dangerous, Nhem Yen would have leapt at the chance to work in it, to earn enough to buy a net big enough to cover all her children. How precious is life? Is saving a family member 's life worth sweat and long hours of demeaning and dangerous work? Americans believe is strong family values. Only those without a heart for humanity would not say yes.
It may sound silly to say sweatshops offer a route to prosperity, when wages in the countries are sometimes less than a dollar a day. Still, for an impoverished Indonesian or Bangladeshi woman with a handful of kids who would otherwise drop out of school and risk dying of mundane diseases like diarrhea, one to two dollars a day can be a life-transforming wage. Sweatshops face strong opposition, but not from its workers. Citizens of developing countries do not have the luxury to renegotiate their contract as we do in America. Sweatshops offer an escape from starvation and a way out of poverty.
Works Cited in order used in text:
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:34 pm
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
Loadstone. Economic benefits of sweatshop labor. CheatHouse. June 08, 2003. Sunday, 30 November 2003: 11:20 pm
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.
KRISTOF, N., & WUDUNN S. (2000, September 24). Two Cheers For Sweatshops. New York Times.