Introduction
The rise of unpaid internships has been one of the most disputable issues, raising questions about whether they are lawful or not, whether they are just or not, and finally, whether they are ethical or not. In assessing whether or not unpaid internships should be allowed, the Toulmin argumentation technique will be used in this paper. To thoroughly study this topic, a plan is to look into the claim, ground, support, grounds, warrant, qualifier, and backing.
Claim
Internships should be illegal since they violate labor laws and sustain socioeconomic imbalance.
Grounds
Exploitation of Labor: Most of the time, tasks performed in unpaid internships are needed by the organization at the level of its overall production. Per Knight (p. 21), most interns carry out tasks as complicated as those done by paid workers but are not paid for their work. Consequently, the working class is oppressed, and ideas of decency and justice are ignored.
Some instances of socioeconomic disparity are unpaid internships and the biases in favor of those who come from privileged backgrounds and have an income to work without pay. As per Rothschild and Conor (p. 12), students from homes with low-income struggle with the issue of taking unpaid internships due to financial difficulties. Internships that do not pay the participants lead to economic inequality, and the current gap becomes wider by providing privileges to the wealthy.
Warrant
A person should be paid fair wages for labor, irrespective of how the job is performed. The place is irrelevant. The fact that interns do not get a decent salary for their work qualifies as an infringement on the concept of honesty.
Equitable Opportunities: All staff should have equal opportunities to develop their skills. Unpaid internships, however, are restricted to individuals who can only invest their time with remuneration; thus, people’s access to the practice is limited depending on their socioeconomic level.
Backing
Grenfell and Cornelia’s (p. 6) research supports the claim that labor exploitation is promoted by unpaid interns, which has resulted in many cases where interns have filed lawsuits against companies for wage compliance. Research shows that socioeconomic status positively correlates with internship participation; thus, unpaid internships contribute to inequality. Another proof that is not in favor of unpaid internships is revealed by research (Grenfell & Cornelia, p. 8), which states that unpaid internships are more apparent in industries such as media, fashion, and the arts. This sector usually uses unpaid labor to save costs, which promotes an exploitative culture in some industries.
Testimonies of former interns also portray the harsh realities of unpaid internships. The interns felt devalued and exploited by employers who did not offer meaningful mentorship and professional development opportunities. These experiences highlight the necessity of more accountability and regulation of unpaid internships.
Qualifiers
Those who support unpaid internships argue that they provide people with practical experience, allowing them to move forward in their careers. These benefits should not be proportional to fair pay. Not all internships are informative; those that are should, however, be in the minority rather than the majority. Some paid or unpaid internships can be a way to learn and make contacts. Nevertheless, learning opportunities and training that abuse come to the fore. As an intern, you work with a mentor, receive training, and work on different jobs, which makes your career advance. But those benefits should not be free either.
Rebuttals
Advocates of unpaid internships claim they assist you with getting a job and provide you with valuable skills. But what is overlooked is that the unpaid positions go primarily to people who can afford to work without getting paid, shutting out those who do not have the means. Many believe that a free internship can get a person a job; however, data proves that this is untrue. Many unpaid interns need to get job offers from their companies or progress in their careers, which shows that the role of unpaid internships as a means of promotion upwards should be more emphasized. People who assume that unpaid internships are a means to learn tend to ignore the fact that interns often get assigned trivial or completely unrelated tasks. Therefore, they cannot try new skills or look for new careers.
Conclusion
The study reveals that the internship industry should be outlawed since it abuses the workers, bringing about social and economic injustice. We have sufficient evidence to conclude that no-pay jobs are unlawful, as we only observe claims, premises, reasons, backing, qualifiers, and refutations. Policymakers should worry about this matter to ensure that interns are treated correctly and that there is a fair chance for everybody to get hired.
Works Cited
Grenfell, L., and Cornelia K. “Internship Courses for All? Supporting Students Undertaking Unpaid University-Run Legal Internships.” Alternative Law Journal, vol. 44, no. 3, Sept. 2019, pp. 226-231. Sage Publications Ltd. (UK), 2019.
Knight, Lauren K. “The Free Labor Standards Act? A Look at the Ongoing Discussion Regarding Unpaid Legal Internships and Externships.” University of Baltimore Law Review, vol. 44, no. 1, Winter 2015, pp. 21-35.
Rothschild, Philip C., and Connor L. Rothschild. “The Unpaid Internship: Benefits, Drawbacks, and Legal Issues.” Administrative Issues Journal: Education, Practice & Research, vol. 10, no. 2, Winter 2020, pp. 1-17.
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