Question

In what ways is eva smith exploited in the play an inspector calls 'but these girls aren't cheap labour-they're people'

Answer 1

First off, Eva Smith along with other people working in Mr. Birling's company was looking for higher wages, as they were paid very little. Mr. Birling refuses to increase their salary because he says it will cost him a lot. In order to show the other workers what will happen if a revolt takes place once again, he fires Eva Smith.
Then, Eva Smith gets a job in a clothing store, but Mr. Birling's daughter, Sheila, was jealous of her and angrily told the manager he should fire her (saying she wasn't doing her job correctly etc).
Later, Eva Smith changes her name to Daisy Renton and meets Geralds (Sheila's fiancé). He decides to take her as a mistress, providing her a place to stay, but ultimately tells her their relationship will have to end as socially it would never be accepted and he was already going to get married to Sheila.
She then becomes sexually abused by Eric, who drunkenly uses and impregnates her. He wants to help her by stealing money from his father, Mr. Birling, and offers to marry her to take care of the child, but she refuses when she finds out that he stole the money.
Finally, she decides to turn to charity, an association where the head was Mrs. Birling. She tries to lie about her past, using Mrs. Birling's name, which causes Mrs. Birling to refuse to help her despite clearly seeing that Eva/Daisy was alone and pregnant.
In the end, every member of the family ends up using Eva/Daisy, whilst still blaming her for what happened.

Answer 2

In the play An Inspector Calls, we learn that the character of Eva Smith is abused in a great variety of ways. She represents the oppressed lower classes of Edwardian England. Often, girls from a lower class struggled a lot throughout their lives. They needed to make a living in a world that provided them very few opportunities.

In the case of Eva Smith, she is first abused as a worker. She works long hours and gets paid very little. She is also abused due to her class, as several members of the Birling family believe themselves to be entitled to treating her badly. Eva Smith is also sexually abused, a crime that is left unpunished due to her gender and social position. This long line of abuses and exploitation lead to her eventual suic.ide.