The Inequities of Unpaid Internships (Poster 48)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Fifteen
  In Poster Session: Equity in Place-Based Experiential Learning

Abstract

Though they can provide hands-on work experience, social capital, and access to networks, unpaid internships are problematic for several reasons, which include ethical, legal, and equity concerns. The following paper provides descriptive and analytical results from a survey of bachelor’s and graduate students from 4-year institutions with a sample size of 15,860 from 262 institutions. Using these empirical results, we argue that unpaid, or at least uncompensated, internships should be ended as a practice because they are currently reinforcing the social inequality they were designed to mitigate. We conclude with brief recommendations aimed to help compensate unpaid interns in lieu of a salary.

Authors

• Joshua D. Kahn, National Association of Colleges and Employers
  Presenting Author

• Mary Gatta, National Association of Colleges and Employers
  Non-Presenting Author