Would you work in a sweatshop? Would you work long, grueling hours at a job where you were mistreated by your employer for minimal pay?

No? Well... what if you had no choice?

For many uneducated, unskilled workers, jobs are scarce in the third world. Unemployment rates are high and a social safety net is either non-existent or frayed, burdened by the number of impoverished civilians. And a job deemed "acceptable" by American standards may be unattainable.

A recent op-ed by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times describes the opportunity sweatshop jobs hold for third world civilians: many dream of a factory job in contrast to the even more dire existence of unemployment. Those not lucky enough to find a job are often forced to scavenge trash and dumps to survive.

"Sweatshop" has become a four letter word in the American lexicon. It is associated with low pay, dire working conditions, and abuse. As a result, manufacturing jobs in countries with lower labor standards are demonized by those in the periphery. Many Americans may not understand that these jobs provide opportunity for third world civilians. Such a job may be the only opportunity they get to provide for their family.

I have witnessed the dearth of opportunity for civilians in the third world first hand during four trips to Africa. I visited slum areas in Kenya, including Kibera, the second largest slum in Africa. Residents rummage trash dumps or sell produce at diminished prices to provide for their families. The mere fact that so many sell produce leads to wages barely reaching subsistence levels. A basic principle of economics is that higher supply leads to lower prices and hence lower wages. For example, a person selling bananas, which are plentiful, must sell them at a low price, making it difficult to make a living. According to the CIA World Factbook the unemployment rate in Kenya is 40%. All things considered, I assume that many Kenyans would jump at the opportunity to work a "sweatshop" job.

Low pay and dire conditions are sometimes a reality. The alternative, as we've seen, may be unemployment with no pay or selling a plentiful agricultural good that garners lower wages than a job in a sweatshop.

The fact that many civilians in the third world choose to work in these conditions proves that they prefer working in a sweatshop to being unemployed or selling products at rock bottom prices. Given a choice, people choose the alternative that provides them with a higher benefit.

No one condones powerful employers abusing their workers. However, all employers in sweatshops do not abuse their workers. Also, that some employers do occasionally abuse their workers, is not a reason to prevent employees to work these jobs. They choose to work in these conditions. Organizations and third world governments can implement stricter rules to reduce abuse by employers and improve enforcement of rules already on the books.

It's become fashionable to label unappealing jobs that are off-shored to the third world "sweatshop." What Americans need to realize is that a job with low pay in less than optimal conditions may be an opportunity for the less fortunate. Sweatshop has become an all-encompassing, pejorative term used too often. Americans must be more pragmatic in judging these "sweatshop" jobs and understand that American standards may not apply in all situations.

Article by Ryan Olivett