So...unpaid internships. I've been thinking about how problematic they are.

Caution: White guy talking about race/feminism. If you are a POC or woman feel free to correct me as harshly as you wish. Everyone else (white guys) I'm open for a civil discussion.

So the first and most straightforward issue is that they're unpaid. Not only that, but they are unpaid by industries that typically contain the more wealthy and profitable companies. You'd never get an unpaid internship at a grocery store. They pay people for their time there.

However, when you start to think about the fact that they're unpaid and how that would affect people differently, it starts to get more problematic. Think about how it affects the chances of those who cannot afford to work unpaid. Those who don't have the privilege of working...

for free.

Think about who makes up those groups. Yes, there are white men in there and it's an issue for them. However, think about the groups of people who are more likely to be affected by poverty.

This is where race and gender come into the picture. POC are much more likely to be from poor families and be poor themselves due to systemic racism. Women are also more likely to come from lower wage jobs and not be able to afford to work for a time for free due to sexism.

Many more qualified/not-white-male people have discussed these issues. I suggest you listen to them. They have excellent insight. I will attempt to post some of the people who I'd suggest as a reply to this specific tweet.

So accepting the above fact about POC and women being more likely to be poor, through no fault of their own, let's discuss why unpaid internships are a continuation of the systemic racism and sexism.

You're a company requiring unpaid internships for junior level roles. Let's assume for argument's sake that you're not letting your biases affect your choice of candidates (though you really need to look into that too). You probably are going to see a higher application pool...

of white males. Higher than even a normal application pool in your industry. (Again, something you should look into.)

You can probably see where I'm going. Since POC and women are more likely to be unable to afford an unpaid roles they won't be applying for these roles.

Not because they don't have the knowledge and the drive to. It's because they literally cannot do so and survive. The practice, knowingly or not, discriminates against them because they have a harder life. Which further means that they will be unable to get the "experience..

necessary" to get the jobs that will help them out of these situations.

So, pay your interns. They are human beings that have needs. They have value and talent that needs to be recognized. You can afford it. Plus you will be surprised by the amazing talent and drive they have.

Thank you to my wife for the input and editing help.