Partly Cloudy, 64°
According to a report released by the American Association of University Women, unpaid female interns receive only 78 percent as much job experience as their male counterparts.
“Companies are providing female interns with 22 percent less real-world job experience,” said report author Nancy Koegan. “Regardless of ability, male managers only allow female interns to complete seven tenths of a menial task before stepping in and telling them to take a little break to read a magazine.”
The report indicates that female interns spend an average 25 percent less time organizing filing cabinets, making copies, or carrying coffee cups to senior employees, the result of a wide gender experience pay gap.
“The corporate sexism is absolutely ridiculous,” said female intern Cece Picard after being ushered out of a conference room ten minutes before the end of a meeting. “I just want to do something from start to finish without being told to rest my ‘dainty hands.’”
“Of course we’d love to give our female interns more to do,” said Frank Tunheim, CEO at Heller Partners LLC. “But we also recognize that they’re preoccupied with thoughts of men and potential pregnancy. That puts us in a tough spot.”
Koegan also confirmed that while unpaid female interns are provided with less job experience right away, they could still increase the amount of experience they get in the future by wearing tight skirts and sleeping with the boss.
