The term “sweatshop” is a derogatory term that refers to a factory or workshop, especially in the apparel industry, where manual workers are employed at very low wages for long hours and under poor conditions.  Consider the following (real life) example, then answer the questions that follow:

Meet Meem.  Meem is a nine year old girl that works in a factory in Bangladesh.  The factory is small.  Two dozen sewing machines line the walls of a windowless room.  The room is about half the size of a basketball court.  There are two cutting machines in a corner.  Most of the workers begin their day at 9AM and end their day at 9PM.  Meem is tasked with snipping threads from men’s shirts being made.  She, and other girls, sit cross-legged in the middle of the floor. Like many young factory workers, Meem was taken out of school when the family ran into hardship.  With her mother pregnant and unable to work, the family needed Meem to help boost income.  Meem is allowed a half day off every Friday.  Her wages are paid to her father.

Questions:

· What is a cultural relativist?

· Could a cultural relativist argue that Meem’s working conditions are immoral?  Why or why not?

· Could a cultural relativist argue that Meem’s working conditions are moral?  Why or why not?