sweating system

Definition

Noun: The "sweating system" refers to a method of industrial production in which workers are employed under extremely poor conditions, typically with low wages, long hours, and unsafe environments, often through subcontracting or homework.

Usage Examples

• (A system of oppressive labor practices.)
• (A movement to end exploitative work arrangements.)

Advanced Usage

• "The sweating system" is historically associated with the rise of sweatshops in the 19th and early 20th centuries, where middlemen (sweaters) contracted work to laborers who toiled in crowded, unsanitary spaces.
  • Charles Dickens' novels often depicted the horrors of the sweating system in London's East End. (Literary references to exploitative labor practices.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sweatshop (n): a factory or workshop where the sweating system is practiced.

  • Many clothing brands have been criticized for using sweatshops. (Factories with exploitative conditions.)

• Sweater (n): in this context, a subcontractor or employer who operates under the sweating system.

  • The sweater paid his workers a pittance for each garment. (The exploitative middleman.)

Synonyms

• Exploitative labor system: a system that takes unfair advantage of workers.
• Sweated labor: labor performed under oppressive conditions, often for minimal pay.

Related Idioms

• "To sweat one's workers": to exploit employees by demanding excessive effort for low pay.
  • The factory owner sweated his workers by forcing them to work 16-hour shifts. (To oppress through labor.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Sweat out (informal): to work extremely hard under difficult conditions.
  • They sweated out the production of cheap goods in the back room. (Toiled under oppressive circumstances.)