Overview
This lecture explores the different realities faced by garment workers in Bangladesh and Colombia, focusing on the economic and social impacts of the global t-shirt industry.
Garment Industry in Bangladesh
- Bangladesh is significantly poorer than Colombia, making the garment industry crucial to its economy.
- Four million Bangladeshis work in garment factories, double the number from a decade ago.
- Workers like Jasmine often come from rural villages with high poverty and limited opportunities.
- Many women choose factory work as a trade-off to escape even deeper poverty and family debts linked to dowries.
- Jasmine earns about $80 per month, with most of her income sent home to her family.
- Factory work, while monotonous and low-paid, is seen as safer and preferable to rural hardship.
Impact of Factory Disasters
- The Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh was the worst disaster in garment industry history, killing over a thousand people.
- The tragedy highlighted the risks workers take for marginally better lives.
- The event raised global awareness about garment workers’ conditions.
Garment Industry in Colombia
- In Colombia, the garment industry is just one sector within a more advanced economy.
- Doris, a worker in Colombia, earns almost four times what Jasmine makes.
- Doris supports her mother and has aspirations beyond the factory, such as starting her own pastry business.
Broader Implications and Perspectives
- In Bangladesh, the garment industry represents major social change, offering new risks and opportunities for millions of women.
- Both labor activists and factory owners agree that losing the garment industry would be disastrous for Bangladesh.
- Debate continues over how to improve working conditions and what fair compensation should be, especially in relation to the cost of clothing.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Garment Industry — Factories that manufacture clothing, often for export to wealthier countries.
- Dowry — Money or gifts given by the bride’s family to the groom’s family at marriage, common in some cultures.
- Rana Plaza — Site of a garment factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, prompting global scrutiny of factory conditions.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Reflect on how consumer choices affect workers in different countries.
- Further research current campaigns for garment worker rights.