Wage slavery
Term criticizing wage labor as akin to slavery.
Wage slavery is a term used to criticize perceived exploitation of labor by owners of capital. As a phenomenon, it can be loosely defined as one or more persons' inordinate dependence on wages or salaries, especially when pay, upward mobility, availability of jobs and working conditions are considered insufficient or poor. The term is often used by critics of wage-based employment to criticize the exploitation of labor and social stratification, with the former seen primarily as unequal bargaining power between labor and capital, and the latter described as a lack of workers' self-management, fulfilling job choices, and leisure in an economy.
- field
- Labor criticism, political economy
- known_for
- Critique of wage labor as akin to slavery
- first_recorded_use_ancient
- Cicero, Ancient Rome
- prominent_19th_century_thinkers
- Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Karl Marx, Simon Linguet
- associated_movements
- Syndicalism, anarchism, socialism
Lore & Background
The view that working for wages is akin to slavery dates back to the ancient world. In ancient Rome, Cicero wrote that 'the very wage [wage labourers] receive is a pledge of their slavery'. The term was actively put forward in the late 18th and 19th centuries by defenders of chattel slavery in the Southern United States and by opponents of capitalism. Some defenders of slavery argued that Northern workers were 'free but in name – the slaves of endless toil' and that their slaves were better off. Abolitionists criticized the analogy as spurious, while Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans argued that wage workers were different from slaves as long as they had the opportunity to achieve self-employment. Frederick Douglass initially declared 'now I am my own master' upon taking a paying job, but later concluded that 'there may be a slavery of wages only a little less galling and crushing in its effects than chattel slavery'.
Reader's Guide
The concept of wage slavery has been a central metaphor in critiques of capitalism, highlighting unequal bargaining power between labor and capital. Historically, many socialist organizations and activists have espoused workers' self-management or worker cooperatives as possible alternatives to wage labor. The term was widely used by labor organizations during the mid-19th century to object to the lack of workers' self-management, but was gradually replaced by the more neutral term 'wage work' towards the end of the 19th century as labor organizations shifted their focus to raising wages. Karl Marx described capitalist society as infringing on individual autonomy because it is based on a materialistic and commodified concept of the body and its liberty. The metaphor has been invoked both by defenders of chattel slavery and by labor activists, illustrating its contested and enduring significance in debates about economic freedom and exploitation.
Did You Know?
- Cicero wrote that 'the very wage [wage labourers] receive is a pledge of their slavery'.
- Frederick Douglass initially declared 'now I am my own master' upon taking a paying job, but later concluded that wage slavery could be as crushing as chattel slavery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "wage slavery" in labor & employment discourse?
It is a critical label for the condition in which workers become excessively dependent on wages or salaries while facing poor pay, limited job availability, and inadequate working conditions. The phrase frames standard wage employment as a form of exploitation carried out by owners of capital.
Who first used the term "wage slavery"?
The earliest recorded use of the expression comes from Cicero in Ancient Rome. The idea was later expanded into a systematic critique of labor by 19th-century political economists.
Which 19th-century thinkers are most closely tied to the wage-slavery critique?
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Karl Marx, and Simon Linguet are the prominent figures most associated with developing the concept. Their writings connected the idea to broader arguments about political economy and the structural imbalance between labor and capital.
What movements or ideologies draw on the "wage slavery" framework?
Syndicalism, anarchism, and socialism are the principal movements linked to the term. These traditions use it to argue that conventional wage employment reproduces conditions comparable to bondage, particularly through the absence of worker self-management.
What specific labor problems does the term "wage slavery" highlight?
It draws attention to the unequal bargaining power between workers and capital owners, as well as the lack of meaningful worker control over production. Critics also use it to describe social stratification and the limited upward mobility available to salaried employees.
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