In today’s times, sweatshops are not run in a person’s home, they only exist in large, factory settings. If a person is doing tailor work or clothing design in their home, it would not be called a sweatshop, but instead a boutique or fashion business. Back then, sweatshops were very common and lots of people began their rise to the top of the job market by working at a sweatshop factory. Now, sweatshop employees are seen as the lowest of lows and have little to no potential of working in a better paying job. Back then, sweatshop owners who worked from home may employ a few helpers so that the work got done quicker. This may still apply, but is seen a lot less, given that most boutiques and small fashion businesses are only run by one or two people.

Throughout history, there has always been a connection between immigrants and sweatshops. Sweatshops were a way for the immigrant to immediately be placed in a stable environment in which they could earn a few dollars and be placed with people just like them. For immigrants who were more bold and started sweatshops in their homes, they were making a name for themselves and using their home work to interact with the outside world by hiring employees and selling the pieces they made to bigger factories.

These days, a lot of sweat shops are ran in foreign countries and continents. They have a huge presence in China, and there are a sizable amount in Spanish speaking countries as well.

From an outside perspective, I think that sweatshops can be both good or bad for immigrants, depending on different factors. For example, if the immigrant is very poor when first arriving to the country, they can easily make a small salary at the sweatshop. If the immigrant does not yet know English, they can work at the sweatshop in which communication isn’t too necessary, and there are other workers who will be in the same situation, and may even speak the same language as the new hire. The negative impacts of sweatshops do seem to outweigh the positive factors, though. Sweatshops do not pay well, far less than minimum wage, and the working conditions are not always sanitary or up to code. Sweatshops are notorious for not treating their employees well, doing things such as limiting lunch breaks and not permitting bathroom usage.

https://www..com/projects/la-fi-forever-21-factory-workers/

https://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/i-dont-care-about-feminist-message-your-shirt-i-do-care-how-much-female-garment-worker-was-paid.html