The differences between the Chinese and Korean garment factories were very interesting. The Chinese factories hired mostly Chinese women. They were less formal and family-like; close relations were formed between workers and supervisors. My grandmother, former garment worker, formed close bonds with several co-workers, whom she still keeps close contact with. The Chinese view everyone in the factory as in the same situation as themselves. The workers were even allowed to bring their children to work.

The Korean factories, on the other hand, were much more strict. They hired mostly Hispanic workers. Workers were expected to obey the rules: produce the quota amount of garments for the day and worked a certain number of hours each day. They did not have the relaxed, family-like environment the Chinese had.

There are pros and cons to these two factory environments. It is more relaxing and lenient in the Chinese factories. Workers have much more leeway in their work but receive lower wage because of the piece-work pay structure. The workers in Korean factories are under much more stress but are payed more because of the hourly rate wages.

The first few chapters of Sewing women reflect the growing disparities between immigrants of the past and present, particularly within the garment industry.  Professor Chin’s research, focusing on more recent immigrants, provides many examples of how the old stereotypes no longer suffices when describing immigrant patters. For example, while old patterns suggested that men who immigrated on their own reflected temporary settlement and families immigrating together predicted permanent residency, these generalizations can not be applied so strictly today. Furthermore, the idea that temporary travelers were almost always men requires some updating. The research showed some immigrants initially coming on their own planning to just stay until they make enough money find that the US actually provides better opportunity and bring their whole family over. Men or couples immigrating with children at home often do so for greater economic gain and plan to eventually return home. Additionally, there is a greater number of women emigrating around the world. Often coming along with their husbands to improve economic gain, women are predictors of future plans, given their motherhood status. That is, if the women has children in the US, the family is more likely to become permanent residents, while if she has children back home, the couple is likely to leave sooner. Overall, the studies show that, “initial emigration patterns, family structure in the US, and probable family reunification are better indicators of who will become permanent immigrants than the gender of the immigrant.”(40). Such realizations are important in understanding the attractiveness and patterns of the garment industry to Chinese and Korean immigrants in particular.

The first half of Professor Chin’s “Sewing Women” largely focuses on the co-ethnicity present in the garment industry. Workers in the Chinatown sector are mostly, well, Chinese.  New immigrants or workers receive jobs through word of mouth and must also be sponsored by already established workers. It is almost always the case that a new immigrant’s sponsor is a relative or close friend, and this is the only way that new immigrants are able to receive a job in garment shops. In contrast, the Korean sector features mostly Hispanic workers who are unable to speak English and are willing to work for very low wages. Koreans have a much more ‘entrepreneurial’ view on their business and are concerned only about maximizing their profits. Thus, there is a great disparity between the work atmosphere in Chinese and Korean shops. Chinese shops are usually very relaxed; workers receive payment for every piece they complete, whereas Korean workers must work quickly in an assembly line type of format. Korean shops are much, much stricter; there is limited to nonexistent interaction with other workers and unlike Chinese workers, Korean shop workers are not allowed to bring their children to work. Overall, work at a Chinese shop and that at a Korean shop drives to complete the same goal, but with very different means.

While these new immigrants came for similar reasons as those of the old immigrants, the means by which they came are very different. The old immigrants had to endure long, arduous boat rides, in which conditions were squalid and often deadly. The term ‘illegal immigration’ was not common, although there were immigrants who stowed away in crates and barrels or worked on the ships to be able to get to America. The new immigrants, however, had a much ‘easier’ time getting to America. They did not have to go on month-long ship rides, but it is more difficult to get immigration papers. Today’s immigrants must have family members already established here in order to be able to immigrate legally and those who do emigrate are usually more educated or more well off than the old immigrants. Immigrants, both old and new, tend to flock in ethnic neighborhoods, where culture, language, and mindsets are shared.

Chapter 1-4:
– Why were these specific interviewees subcategorized to their age? What difference does a younger or an older immigrant make in the scope of the study?
– Are there cultural differences in immigration patterns? The Chinese seem to be more family-conjunct while Latinos are more solitary. Is this an economic or cultural value?
– Chinese bring their kids with them while Mexican/Ecuadorian leave their children behind.
– Chinese factories hire Chinese, while Korean hire mostly Mexican workers. Why the racial/ethnic difference in hiring in the two managements?

Chapter 5-9:
– It was intriguing that the Ecuadorian wages are appropriate while the Mexicans were willing to accept lower wages. This is because the Ecuadorians had a higher level of education and more job experience. Perhaps the Ecuadorians should inform the Mexicans that they should go to the Worker’s Center. On the other hand, in the long run, the Mexicans become more experienced and increase their wages.
– I thought it was unfair that the Chinese workers had to pay respect to the person who brought them in by not complaining of the job hardships. The low wages are unfair and is a matter of a safe workplace, which every employee should be granted.

Before reading this book I had never given any serious thought to the sewing industry. But why not? After all, I wear clothes, and those come from somewhere. In fact, the New York City garment industry is a fascinating (and declining) dichotomy of two worlds. In one, Chinese immigrants are hired through the referrals of family members; they work flexible hours, join a union, are paid by the piece, and tend to stay in the same shop. In the other, Korean owners hire mostly hispanic immigrants; these workers are paid a slightly higher hourly wage, work illegally, and often leave their current garment shops in search of a higher wage elsewhere. Despite being so radically different, these two different models are economically viable and competitive (to a certain degree- this book was published in 2005 and the industry has undoubtably changed since then. The article, Moving On, provides insight into how the outsourcing of garment work is changing these industries.). Moreover, it was interesting to study a contemporary study of this industry, especially because we only ever learn of it in the context of early New York immigration, when it was dominated by Italian and Jewish immigrant women.

Chapter 3, Getting From There to Here was especially interesting for its examination of how settlement patterns play a role in setting gender norms. For example: most Chinese immigrants tend to emigrate as a family. When they arrive, women take on the roles of family caretakers and gravitate towards garment work because this traditionally acceptable women’s work. The men of these families most often work in the restaurant industry, which is seen as too strenuous for women. Conversely, hispanic couples, most of whom emigrate without young children, are not as confined to these traditional gender roles; one third of hispanic workers in Korean shops are men (52).

Finally, it is worth noting that many of the Korean shop owners interviewed for this book were professionals in Korea; almost all held college degrees and five of eight believed that they experienced downward mobility when they emigrated to the United States (58-59). Still, they maintain that they enjoy a better quality of life. I think that this is an especially telling focal point: people come to the United States for a chance at a better life, not necessarily for prestige or fortune. It help explains why so many people would be willing to leave the safety of home and come, both legally and illegally, to this country.

             The environment of the Chinese factories were relaxed and made to be convenient for the workers. They could enter the workplace at any time because there was no exact starting time and there was no punch clock. Sometimes the manager was not even present. Chinese factory owners preferred to hire Chinese workers, allowing for a bond consisting of a similar language and heritage to develop.

            The Korean run factories operated differently than that of the Chinese. Workers followed a stricter tune schedule and did not form bonds with each other such as the Chinese did. Furthermore, Korean factories did not just employ their own but hired Mexican workers. While the Chinese factories had more comradery, the environment of the Korean factories was strict and work oriented.

            It was surprising to learn that women in garment shops considered their work to be less stressful than other jobs such as waitressing. This is a counter-intuitive idea because one would assume waitressing requires more effort because you have to constantly move while carrying heavy loads. Perhaps the positive perception of the Chinese workplace was based on the flexibility in which the workplace was operated. The women in the Chinese garment shops (most workers were women), were allowed to leave work and pick up their children, bring them home or to work, and run errands.

            There is a large difference between Hispanics and the Chinese in America. The Chinese followed the family emigration pattern and staged emigration pattern while Hispanics followed the singles emigration pattern. Hispanics intended to return home which is why they did not bring their children over from home. In contrast, the Chinese desired to create a life not just for themselves but for their children and future generations in America.

In “Sewing Women” professor Margaret Chin ventures into the veiled world of garment shops located in the Lower Manhattan Chinatown. The book provides readers with the rare views and voices of the women who work in these garment shops, and investigates how they came, why they came and how it is where they currently are.

One thing that I particularly liked is that Chin took the time to incorporate actual quotes in the beginnings and throughout the chapters to establish what each chapter would be about. At the end of each chapter she also summarized what each chapter was about which made the information more retainable and clear.

Having had the privilege of hearing professor Chin talk about how experiences in writing the book, what I found even more fascinating was how sometimes she would spend weeks in the same garment shop, interviewing and speaking to all the workers, and suddenly one day one of them would just be gone. I found this interesting because it shows how the lives of these women were really quite difficult and a lot like a dangerous journey. One thing I wish the book had was an epilogue at the end following up on the lives of the women at the garment shops a few laters.

What I found most surprising and educational was the difference between Chinese-run and Korean-run garment factories. The cultural implications of this difference interests me as well, as work environments can describe much about the people who run them. Chinese immigrant factories are more family oriented than their Korean counterparts. Jobs in chinese factories were acquired mostly through familial relations or recommendations of good friends. Because of this, these factories were worked entirely by Chinese immigrants. This led to the adoption of Chinese cultures throughout the factory, and the job was viewed as a rite of passage for young women. The close and lenient atmosphere of Chinese garment factories directly contrasted the traits of Korean garment factories. These were employed by immigrants of multiple ethnicities (except Chinese as they usually work with their families), and enforced a much stricter work atmosphere.

Modern day Asian-americans are often grouped together, and the stereotype of “they all look the same” is sadly prevalent. The reading, however, highlights the individual and minute differences in these cultures that many fail to notice today. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say the Koreans are unconcerned with cultural identity and close-knit communities, but maybe they separated work from home. This makes me wonder about the states of Chinese and Korean garment shops today.

I found the differences between Chinese garment shops and Korean garment shops to be very interesting. Korean garment shops consisted of Hispanic workers and Korean management. Chinese garment shops had Chinese in both labor and management. Why did the Chinese pay their workers (all Chinese also) lower wages than the Koreans paid their workers, who weren’t Korean? I feel that since Koreans weren’t dealing with their own people, they couldn’t rip them off, in a sense, whereas you are more likely to trust and feel security with anything your fellow Chinese employers pay you.

One aspect of the book that I feel helps tell the story of these workers is the anecdotes from the interviews. The personal and emotional aspect of these workers’ stories are so touching and really help understand the situation many of the workers were in, offers a new perspective on garment workers (most of which are not undocumented), and helps compare ad contrast how different ethnicities dealt with the immigration and settling process.

Chapters 1-4 of Sewing Women by our very own professor Chin talks about the history of the garment industry situated in New York, differences between the Korean and Chinese owned businesses, the immigration strategies of the textile workers and gender work roles, and the people involved in the garment industry. What I found interesting was the shift in the garment industry work-floor over time. The Jewish used to work in the industry, then the Italians, then during WWII the blacks, and then the Asians and Hispanics came later and took over most of the industry.

I found it very interesting how the Chinese actually paid for their workers’ union memberships instead of the workers having to may for membership themselves, just so that they can be guaranteed steady production. What I found more interesting was that the Chinese workers did not really know what the unions they were in were for but appreciated them because they got vacation pay and health benefits.

I also found noteworthy how Hispanic men also worked in the garment industry while the Chinese men reserved the garment work mostly for the women. Even though gender work roles only mostly grew after the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, it may be a disadvantageous to have this mindset when immigrant Chinese families need to make money any way they can.

Finally, I found it interesting for the Koreans to move to the USA to own garment shops, even though they have college degrees. This meant a downward mobility in society, but they did it for their children. Is it really worth it to live a not so good life in the USA just for a better quality and more affordable education for your children? I think so, but as for Koreans without children, they may think otherwise.

I am familiar with the working conditions and structure of factory work, so some of the work-related aspects I am very aware of. However, it is interesting to see the differences among the working conditions depending on the time period, location, and the ethnic groups involved. These beginning chapters reveal just how different factory work in the garment industry can truly be as a result of different ethnic groups. In Sewing Women, I found it interesting that it was stated that Eastern European Jews dominated the garment industry and that they made use of a “task-based pay system” which basically benefited the less skilled workers. This is how factory owners got a large amount of workers. Another point I found especially fascinating was that immigration slowed down significantly after the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1924. Even though immigration slowed down, surprisingly there were so many people working at these factories in the garment industry that there wasn’t a labor shortage. I found this extremely interesting. What I also found especially fascinating in Sewing Women were the personal brief interviews/ anecdotes provided by real individuals who immigrated to the United States. I found it heart-wrenching to read about the Hispanic women who had to leave their families and children behind.