Exploitées

Exploitées is the feminine plural form of the adjective exploité and can also function as a noun. It designates people who are subjected to exploitation, particularly in economic, social, or political contexts. The masculine plural exploités is used for male or mixed groups, while exploitées refers to women or feminine groups; agreement follows standard gender and number rules.

Usage and scope: In academic writing, journalism, and human rights advocacy, exploitées appears in discussions of working conditions, gender inequality, and vulnerable populations. When used as a noun phrase, it commonly takes the definite article: les exploitées.

Contexts: Labor exploitation (migrant workers, domestic workers, precarious jobs), exploitation within supply chains, gender-based exploitation (including trafficking, forced labor, and coerced marriage). The term highlights how people may be rendered vulnerable by unequal power relations.

Critique: While the term foregrounds harm, it can risk oversimplification if applied without attention to intersectional factors such as race, class, and nationality. Advocates emphasize remedies: stronger labor protections, fair wages, social protections, anti-trafficking measures, and structural reforms.

In culture and media, exploitées appears in NGO reports, feminist scholarship, and documentary titles addressing exploitation. It is also used in campaigning language to mobilize support for victims and workers seeking justice.