Gender inequality in Mexico
[2][1] It has been diminishing throughout history, but continues to persist in many forms including the disparity in women's political representation and participation, the gender pay gap, and high rates of domestic violence and femicide.
For example, the World Economic Forum publishes a Global Gender Gap Index score for each nation every year.
[8] The index tries to put forth a more gender-sensitive public policy agenda by including gender equality and specific types of discrimination that affect the lives of women in developing countries as main focuses.
[15][16] Due to the declination of wages in the export manufacturing sector over time, maquila industry salaries do not cover the basic basket needs of their workers.
[16] In addition, according to a 2004 study by Alex Covarrubias and Gabriela Grijalva that took place in Sonora (northern Mexico), twenty percent of maquiladora workers had been victims of sexual harassment by male co-workers, supervisors, and managers.
[23] This means that 23.5% of women or 76.5% of men would have to move to different career field in order for all occupations to have equal gender composition.
[citation needed] While the disparity between male and female wages decreased from the 1980s to the early 1990s, the gap began to increase again in 1996 following the Mexican economic crisis.
[14] As of 2012, the World Economic Forum ranks Mexico 69th out of 135 countries in terms of gender equality in education attainment.
[3] This disparity is more prevalent for girls in low-income families, as these children are more likely to participate in domestic activities in the home rather than attend school.
Policies and projects like these are usually conducted and focus on youth with formal employers, so many young girls are unable to attend school or even be contacted by the government to ensure that they are receiving an education because they are completing housework in their homes.
However, many women face barriers to receiving this care including: inaccurate information, undue delays, and intimidation by officials.
"[31] According to a 1997 study by Kaja Finkler, domestic abuse "is embedded in gender and marital relations fostered in Mexican women's dependence on their spouses for subsistence and for self-esteem, sustained by ideologies of romantic love, by family structure and residential arrangements.
"[37] A study released in March, 2018, found that 40.6% of employed women in Mexico City had reported some form of work-related disruption due to domestic violence.
[38] The exploitation through sex trafficking and forced prostitution increases the risk that a woman in Mexico will experience gender-based violence.
[41] Sexual health and STDs are also big issues faced by those who have been forcibly entered into prostitution and sex trafficking.
This is usually because sex trafficking and forced prostitution victims are unable to consistently negotiate condom use with their male partners at the threat of violence, which leads to an increase in HIV/AIDS and other STD exposure.
[14] According to a 1998 study, women held only 14.2 percent of parliamentary seats in Mexico, putting it behind most developed countries (with the exception of the United States) in female representation.
