The Injustices of Muller v Oregon
The early 18th century was a time of great economic inequality, in which big businesses and corporations would use sweatshop labor in order to accumulate large amounts of wealth. With no federal regulations for safety or workers’ rights, the conditions of these sweatshops and factories were extremely hazardous, and industrial accidents were the norm. The primarily unskilled workers were often exploited for very low pay, but were forced to accept these conditions because they needed the money. In response to these conditions, progressive reformers began to rally for a shorter workday. However, after the United States Supreme Court struck down a state law restricting bakers’ workdays to ten hours, the progressives felt that an exception might be made for women (Muller 75). This belief was soon confirmed, in 1908, when the United States Supreme Court upheld an Oregon law restricting females’ workdays to ten hours in the case Muller v Oregon (Muller 75). While this ruling successfully put a restriction on the unfair treatment of women workers, it was unjust because it ‘justified’ gender discrimination, and restricted the independence of women. …show more content…
Working in the harsh conditions of the factories for all hours of the day had detrimental effects on workers’ health and well being, whether male or female; legislation limiting the amount that one could be forced to work was thus a necessity. Muller v Oregon successfully implemented restrictions on the hours that women could work, and merely “fifteen years later, only five states lacked maximum hour legislation of some sort” (Muller 76). However, while Muller v Oregon achieved this limitation on the workday, the negative outcomes of the case greatly outweighed the
The early 18th century was a time of great economic inequality, in which big businesses and corporations would use sweatshop labor in order to accumulate large amounts of wealth. With no federal regulations for safety or workers’ rights, the conditions of these sweatshops and factories were extremely hazardous, and industrial accidents were the norm. The primarily unskilled workers were often exploited for very low pay, but were forced to accept these conditions because they needed the money. In response to these conditions, progressive reformers began to rally for a shorter workday. However, after the United States Supreme Court struck down a state law restricting bakers’ workdays to ten hours, the progressives felt that an exception might be made for women (Muller 75). This belief was soon confirmed, in 1908, when the United States Supreme Court upheld an Oregon law restricting females’ workdays to ten hours in the case Muller v Oregon (Muller 75). While this ruling successfully put a restriction on the unfair treatment of women workers, it was unjust because it ‘justified’ gender discrimination, and restricted the independence of women. …show more content…
Working in the harsh conditions of the factories for all hours of the day had detrimental effects on workers’ health and well being, whether male or female; legislation limiting the amount that one could be forced to work was thus a necessity. Muller v Oregon successfully implemented restrictions on the hours that women could work, and merely “fifteen years later, only five states lacked maximum hour legislation of some sort” (Muller 76). However, while Muller v Oregon achieved this limitation on the workday, the negative outcomes of the case greatly outweighed the