Question

How could domestic policy improve outcomes for workers in sweatshops?

Answer 1

The mid-90s was when sweatshop issue became apparent around the world and when information was exposed by the Western media. The horrifying conditions the workers endured in conjunction with the treatment they received, was now known to many consumers (Guo, Hsu, Holton, & Jeong, 2012). For example, workers either male or female experienced low wages, dangerous
working conditions, long hours, and degrading treatment (Powell & Zwolinski, 2012). However, women workers back then and today are more in demand then men. The reasons being are due to
their nimble fingers, attention to detail, and obedience level (Chan & Siu, 2010). In addition, female workers are also more prone to be sexually assaulted and demeaned.

Moreover, an important perspective in ethics is the utilitarianism perspective, which has been applied to the workers’ overall treatment in sweatshops. If one considers themselves a utilitarian, then achieving happiness or pleasure for the majority is the ultimate wish. This type of outcome is quite hard to apply to sweatshop workers because of the complexity of the situation they are in (Powell & Zwolinksi, 2012). Attempts to make the majority of workers happy will have a tremendous strain on the economy, and then consequently the workers themselves (Preiss, 2014). Anti-sweatshop activists fight for the workers to gain a higher wage but do not always think rationally of the potential outcome (Meyers, 2007). They believe if the government allows for higher wages, the workers will be happier, but increases in wages could potentially force the government to fire many workers due to costs.

So, one way to improve conditions for the workers is if the governments and factory managers work together. This also shows that governments have the means to improve the conditions of the workers. Governments have immense power inside their own countries but as we have learned, they need to be more proactive with their external resources. Each worker has a choice to work within the factories or elsewhere but that does not mean their only best worse option has to treat them so poorly. The advice given by the participants should be taken into account, especially the point where the workers themselves need to be educated on their own rights. Adjusting their wages may become difficult but as the
literature revealed, possibly asking for more days off could become a better incentive and more plausible for the government to do.