Perception of rights in professional practices: a qualitative study of legal limbo and its gender effects in Mexico

Abstract

This study examines how female university students perceive their rights during professional internships in Mexico, within a context characterized by a legal and institutional limbo. Using a qualitative approach with a gender and intersectional perspective, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with interns at a public institution in Hermosillo, Sonora, in order to understand their experiences, levels of awareness, and perceptions of protection or lack thereof. The findings reveal that students tend to view their rights as contingent upon performance rather than as inherent guarantees, reflecting the internalization of the structural precariousness that characterizes professional internships. Additionally, interpersonal communication with supervisors emerges as the primary mechanism for conflict resolution in the absence of formal institutional safeguards; however, this strategy proves to be limited and potentially risky, particularly in contexts of vulnerability. The results also highlight a gap between formally declared equality and the inequality experienced in practice, exacerbated by weak university oversight and regulatory ambiguity. The study concludes that the lack of protection in professional internships is not only structural but also subjectively reproduced, disproportionately affecting women due to gender and intersectional factors. In this regard, the findings underscore the need to reconfigure the current model by incorporating clear regulatory frameworks and gender-sensitive protocols that ensure fair, safe, and equitable training conditions.