Researcher(s)
- Lauren Karpyn, History, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Kedron Thomas, Anthropology, University of Delaware
Abstract
Haiti is the perfect nightmare the garment industry thrives on. The global garment industry is notorious for searching for the lowest wages and the poorest working conditions to keep profits high. But why is it the norm for labor in the garment to be perpetually undervalued and exploited? Global NGOs and economists have labeled The garment industry ‘unskilled’ industry for decades. As a result, it has permitted the garment industry to underpay and overwork garment workers. Haiti is a perfect example of how the export garment industry intentionally devalues the labor needed to sustain it and maintain an impoverished workforce willing to work for such low wages. Haiti is a particularly extreme example of this vicious cycle because of the perpetual interference of the US and other NGOS influencing and controlling the economy and politics of Haiti, especially following the 2010 earthquake. The export garment industry, while making up 90% of Haitian exports, will not solve the poverty and economic turmoil in the country unless significant reforms are made regarding fundamental ideas about the value of labor in the garment industry.