noun
- Plural of padronism; the system or practice of a padrone (a labor boss or contractor who recruits and controls workers, often exploitatively).
Usage: historical; often used in contexts of labor history and immigration studies
Examples
- Padronisms were common in early 20th-century immigrant communities in the United States.
- The study examined how padronisms affected Italian and Eastern European workers.
- Labor reformers fought against the abuses inherent in padronisms.
- Padronisms created a system where workers were dependent on their padrone for employment and housing.