wage slavery

noun

: the state or condition of someone who works for wages usually considered insufficient for meeting a basic standard of living : the state or condition of the working class relative to those of wealthier classes

… significant elements within the federation sought to challenge wage slavery by advancing worker ownership and control over the means of production …

—Sanjay Pinto

Many members of my own family, including my mother and father, fled their work as sharecroppers in the South. They left for good reason: the profession offered no future and was little more than wage slavery.

—Will Allen

Despite increased productivity, most people still work long hours to house and feed themselves. Our capitalist system always manages to keep us in wage slavery.

—Chris Tomlinson

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above