Mexico’s Path to Female Leadership and Advancements in Gender Equality
In a historic decision, Mexico’s ruling party has chosen Claudia Sheinbaum as its candidate for the upcoming 2024 election, setting the stage for a groundbreaking moment in Mexican politics. Sheinbaum’s candidacy pits her against the top contender from the opposition, Xóchitl Gálvez, and if successful, she would become Mexico’s first female leader. This development has been met with excitement and hope by women’s rights activists across the country, heralding a potential turning point in the role of women in Mexican politics.
Maricruz Ocampo, a passionate women’s rights activist in Querétaro, expressed her sentiments to the Washington Post, calling this election a “feminist’s dream” and emphasizing the significance of this moment in reshaping women’s roles in politics.
Both Sheinbaum and Gálvez come from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) backgrounds, marking their distinct career paths. Sheinbaum, who is of Jewish heritage, is a former physicist and represents the center-left alliance Juntos Hacemos Historia. On the other hand, Gálvez is a businesswoman and computer engineer with a unique blend of Indigenous Otomí and mestiza heritage, running for the center-right political alliance Broad Front for Mexico.
Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, highlights the remarkable independence and individual trajectories that both Sheinbaum and Gálvez have carved out for themselves, distinguishing them from the common narrative of female candidates in Latin America who often have familial ties to male politicians.
Across many Latin American countries, female candidates for top leadership positions have frequently been spouses or ex-wives of popular male candidates. For instance, in Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner succeeded her husband as president, while in Honduras, President Xiomara Castro is the wife of former President Manuel Zelaya. Similarly, in Guatemala, Sandra Torres, a former First Lady, divorced her husband Álvaro Colom to navigate campaign laws that prevent relatives of the President from running for the same role. Torres famously stated, “I am not going to be the first or the last woman who decides to get a divorce, but I am the only woman to get a divorce for her country.”
In this context, Mexico stands out as a unique political landscape, where women’s representation in politics has been steadily progressing. Mexico has been at the forefront of women’s involvement in politics, even at lower government levels such as state officials and parliament members. Currently, half of all national parliament seats in Mexico and half of the government’s cabinet positions are held by women. However, gender parity is still a work in progress when it comes to governorships, with only nine out of 32 being held by women.
The roots of Mexico’s advancements in women’s representation trace back to the 1990s when the country’s 71-year one-party rule under the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) began to crumble due to corruption scandals and economic crises. This era sparked a desire among Mexicans for a radically different style of political leadership. Simultaneously, civil society organizations advocating for women’s issues began gaining prominence and becoming more vocal.
Christopher Sabatini emphasizes the emergence of an active and engaged civil society as a response to decades of repression, control, and monopolistic power under the one-party government from 1921 until 2000. This newfound civil society played a crucial role in pushing forward various issues, including abortion rights and women’s representation in politics.
Recently, women’s rights activists in Mexico celebrated a significant victory as the Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide, opening the door for the healthcare system to provide access to safe and legal abortions. This ruling marked a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for women’s reproductive rights in the country.
In the wake of the end of one-party rule, lawmakers in Mexico introduced quotas to increase the number of women in political positions. These quotas not only aimed to boost women’s representation on national tickets but also sought to distribute women’s participation across various roles in government. Mexico’s commitment to pro-women representation laws has surpassed that of many other countries, extending to cabinet positions and statewide offices.
Despite Mexico’s role as a regional leader in women’s political representation, the country still faces significant gender inequality challenges. According to the United Nations’ gender equality index, Mexico received a score of 0.309 on a scale of zero to one, with zero representing the highest level of equality. This score underscores the ongoing need for continued efforts to address gender disparities and promote gender equality in various aspects of Mexican society.
Mexico’s journey toward potentially electing its first female leader in 2024 reflects both the progress made in women’s representation in politics and the ongoing challenges of gender inequality. The stories of Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez serve as emblematic examples of women who have risen to prominent political positions based on their individual merits and career achievements, breaking away from traditional narratives of familial political ties. While Mexico has made significant strides in promoting women’s participation in politics, the struggle for true gender equality persists, necessitating ongoing efforts to address systemic inequalities and empower women in all aspects of society.
