This is a ridiculous statement. India and south-east Asia are proof that it is quite the opposite of "impossible" to live on less than a dollar a day. What seems to be misunderstood is the relative buying power of a dollar in each place. Where I can hardly get a McDonald's hamburger for a dollar in the USA, in India that dollar will pay for lunch for the whole family.

What does the average woman in a third world (working for $24 a month) own - how many outfits, shoes, cell phones,etc.

I think it is critical to understand how impossible it is to live on less than $1 per day, even though nearly 1/3 of the world's population is having to do just that. The next billion people are living on less than $2 per day!

What we buy and consume in America does change the lives of others who live in poverty. If we choose to buy mostly Fair Trade clothes and products - we can assure that the worker is paid a Living Wage". It is the people in the developed nations who have the power to end poverty.

The last garment factory on Saipan is about to close (Jan 14), and a unique era is ending (I'm a business author, and consultant who also freelances a column which is published weekly in the Saipan Tribune).

I'd be glad to answer any questions people may have about what they think, feel and believe about what they do.
(www.saipanfactorygirl.com)
or email me at info@saipanfactoryfacts.org

You can bet that profit is pretty hefty

Except my socks and underwear. Those were probably made in a sweatshop.

@ Alex Great point. Most people assume our clothes are made in "sweatshops." Personally, I hate the term. Not all garment factories in developing countries are sweatshops. Some are good, safe place to work and provide a standard of living that is at or above the country's average. I met with several factory owners during global quest and not a single one of them failed to mention the squeeze brands and buyers are putting on them. One owner in Bangladesh said that his profits have been cut in half over the last few years and he didn't know how much longer he could operate. I think what needs to happen is that brands need to establish long term relationships with factories that are monitored by a third party. Also, we as consumers need to educate ourselves as to which brands are making the effort to support the people making their products.

Yes, it has rows and rows of sewing machines, but the garment workers are both males and females in almost equal proportions. The workers are friendly, they chit chat though since they're paid per piece, most of them choose to work quietly, focusing on getting as much done as possible.

The factory has an attached building where the workers sleep (They can also live at home, but since many of them come from afar, it makes no sense for them to commute every workday. Instead they go home on the weekends). Beds and bathroom are provided.

When I visited her operation, the factory was cutting and sewing shirts for Calvin Klein. When you go out and buy an expensive shirt, remember this: the cost for cutting and sewing a shirt (including putting on collar and buttons) is about $0.10 per piece. That's right. Ten cents (the clothing line provides the fabric).

She closed down her operation a while ago, because the price of $0.10 per piece turns out to be too high as compared to other cheaper countries like Vietnam. Her employees were very upset - they had lost clean, reliable, and relatively high paying jobs.

Because management so desperately needs those profit margins.

I live in Monterrey Mexico one of the largest industrial cities in Mexico, at least, companies here are not closing to move to China, India or any other "third world hellhole country" (please change your mind only those 2 are going to rule the world and be your bosses in the midterm), as many are foreign, especially from the US, those that close is because of LOW DEMAND in their products, so they preferred to move the low demand to US, like York now JCI, where a friend worked. They could do the other way moving from US to Mexico, many times cheaper, good quality and work force/experience but they will lose their jobs.

@ Geekazoid it is still possible to buy American made products even though only about 3% of clothes are still made here. American Apparel is the nation's largest clothing manufacturer. The company produces all of their products near LA. You probably have seen their billboards in which the women on them aren't wearing any of the clothes they are trying to sell.

@ wookielover the really heartbreaking part is that many of them don't have a better option. The garment industry is crucial in countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia where it accounts for 3/4 of all exports. Without it life might be worse. I know that's hard to imagine, but the realities in these places are harsh. Still, I think these workers could be treated and paid better.

@ Christophe In my mind poverty is just one bit of bad luck (illness, job loss, lost crop, robbery) away from hunger. Unfortunately, I think the current state of the world's economy will reverse some of this upward mobility. I read reports of rice cost as much as $15/month in Bangladesh this past summer as food prices skyrocketed. And I recently talked with my translator in China who has lost contact with Dewan and Zhu Chun. He suspects they lost their jobs and had to move back to their village.

@ gorgehu Why is it that anytime I post something about the garment/shoe industry in China someone leaves a comment how they can find me a very good deal just for me?

@ Ted My interactions with the workers were often funny. We laughed more than we were serious. Of course most of the time the laughter was at my expense. But what can you expect when you visit someone's country because your underwear were made there?

@ Ray I don't press my values on their lives. Throughout the book I don't even press my values on the reader. My goal was to introduce readers to the people that make our clothes not preach at them. However, calling someone's home a "third world hellhole" is pressing your values/beliefs on them. Also, I bet you couldn't look Arifa in the eye as she holds here daughter Sadia, who awoke with hunger pains, and tell her "You make $24/month...good for you!"

I wonder why Debbie in New York's wages weren't mentioned?
Probably because she's probably making some outrageous union negotiated wage for sewing shorts for the NBA.

Wonder why her plant moved to Mexico and everyone's clothes are made in Bangladesh?

It's a lot more than most people make in the third world hellholes that they live in.

Don't press your values on their lives.

Another view (I think that was in Newsweek about 2 years ago) is that globalization helped 2 billion people rising from hunger to poverty...