Sweartshops

Things Noticed by the Class
- sweatshops considered positive
- boycotting could be harmful
- most workers are women
- $2/9 hours = decent pay
- pollution considered biggest problem
- workers want long hours
- parents are pleased kids have jobs
- creating middle class
- higher wages = fewer people have jobs but if you keep the low wages, then more people can have a little
- $1-2 a day keeps people out of poverty
- 1/4 of world's economy

Questions thought of through the reading of the article and thinking of some of the statements from UDHR article 23
- Do environmental questions outweigh personal gain?
- How can conditions be improved?
- Will this ultimately lead to better working conditions?
- Will exposure to U.S. lifestyle change how Asians perceive sweatshops?
- How does governing body affect fair labor standards?

15 year old girl -> father prefers her to have a job instead of going to school... how this differs from the things that 15 year old Americans do

First Thoughts
I was surprised to get a different view points on such a popular topic. In the U.S. you always hear about how awful sweatshops are and that they should be shut down, but this article provided me with a more positive outlook on the factories.
Although the $1-$2 a day wage is extremely low, it still can help some people out of the deepest parts of poverty. If people stop buying things from sweatshops, it is actually just going to hurt the CHinese people in the end. Less incoming profit = less jobs available = more women without jobs...
higher wages-> less jobs for women -> more women in poverty
lower wages-> more jobs-> although no one has a lot, they have enough