A Nike Factory in China
In 2005, Nike produced its shoes and sportswear at 124 plants in China; additional factories were located in other low-wage countries. Most of the Chinese plants were run by subcontractors, who housed the workers — mostly women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five — in crowded dormitories. The wages were low, about $3 a day, but more than the women could earn if they remained in their rural villages. AP Images.