We Shop, They Sweat: The Women Who Make Our Clothes

Around the world, there are thousands of young women just like Jasmine. Feminists Against Sweatshops estimates that 90 percent of all sweatshop workers are women.  Both nationally and internationally, the young women that make our clothes are usually uneducated and unaware of their rights, a perfect set-up for exploitation. 

This exploitation has raised many corporate accountability issues. At first, it may be unclear who is to blame for inhumane and unfair labor practices: the multinational corporations or the sweatshops themselves. Upon closer examination, however, it becomes very clear that the large multinational corporations are at fault. The U.S. retail industry is highly competitive and companies search the world to look for the cheapest labor. Retailers put immense pressure on manufacturers to keep prices down and threaten to move their business elsewhere if they cannot. Since developing countries are eager for foreign investment, there is always a country that can underbid. These factors result in the unbelievably low wages and poor working conditions that are the hallmark of a sweatshop.

So what are we, the complicit American consumers, to do? Many of us try to be socially responsible, but how long would it take to research every article of clothing you want to purchase to ensure it isn’t sweatshop made? Or what if you plain forget about all the human rights abuses in the midst of a shopping flurry? I recently found myself walking out of a large discount department store, cheap shirts in hand. When I got home, I realized there was no way the cute shirt I bought for less than ten dollars was anything but sweatshop made.

So how can we make shopping without the sweatshop easier? By keeping in mind some very simple ideas:

•    Avoid the big boxes. The large purchasers have the large leveraging power that drives the unfair labor practices

•    Read the news. Lucky for us, unsavory corporate practices abroad often make the front page, so we can be savvy and avoid the delinquent brands

•    Look for Fair Trade: Coffee, tea, chocolate, and jewelry can now be purchased guilt-free