peonage
/ˈpiːənɪdʒ/
noun
- A system in which a person is forced to work for someone else to pay off a debt, often under unfair conditions.
- Peonage was common in parts of Latin America, where workers could not leave until their debts were cleared.
- Historians study peonage as a form of labor exploitation that trapped generations of families.
- The law eventually outlawed peonage, but some landowners continued the practice in secret.
- The condition or status of being a peon; low-status, poorly paid work.
- The novel explores the emotional toll of peonage on the human spirit.
- After years of peonage in the factory, she finally saved enough money to start her own business.
- He resented the peonage of his early career, but it taught him discipline.
Antonyms