“Out With The Old, In With The New”

Society is constantly changing and creating a new generation based on progression and promotion. People’s lives tend to be centered around working and bettering themselves. Most of the world is now based on a service and manufacturing economy. It is now survival of the fittest, which creates new groups of people looking for success. There is a new generation of Chinese migrants who aspire to break away from tradition and work in the city to become successful. Independence has become a new fad in the Chinese world instead of village life. These people have the option to work or stay in the village. However, there is a generation of people in America who must work to survive. Their lives consist of paycheck to paycheck. While miles apart, both generations are working harder than ever.

The book Factory Girls illustrates the story of young Chinese women who leave their village looking for success in the city. The women “go out and stay out” leaving village life behind (Factory Girls 11). While they want to earn money, that is not their only desire for breaking tradition. “In surveys, migrants [ranked] “seeing the world,” “developing myself,” and “learning new skills” as important as increasing their income” (Factory Girls 13). There is a constant need in these women to develop their education and skills as well as create a more independent life. Times have changed and the migrants find village life an old concept. Even though “migration is emptying the villages,” labor in the city is not an ideal situation (Factory Girls 13).

Working conditions in the factories are not pleasant. Sometimes there could be over ten people sharing a room. Work can last far beyond the legal limit, and the payment is low. However, there is more room ...

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...f migrant work. Both workers experience scrutiny because of their profession.

China and America may have different working cultures, but both generations strive to gain success. Working hard is something China and America share. Factory Girls and Nicked and Dimed show the struggles of working life and how life is not always easy. While factories are constantly expanding in China, poverty is constantly growing in America. Each book represented a different world of workers that share similar challenges.

Works Cited

Chang, Leslie T. Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2008. Print.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. "Nickel and Dimed (2011 Version)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Aug. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (not) Getting by in America. New York: Metropolitan, 2001. Print.