Gender inequality in Mexico refers to disparate freedoms in health, education, and economic and political abilities between men and women in Mexico. 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. As of 2022, the World Economic Forum ranks Mexico 31st in terms of gender equality out of 146 countries. Structural gender inequality is relatively homogeneous between the Mexican states as there are very few regional differences in the inequalities present.
Gender statistics The following table compares the population wide data for two genders on various inequality statistical measures, according to the most recent data available from The World Bank's Gender Statistics database. Unemployment statistics are calculated based on the International Labour Organization (or ILO)'s method of calculation. Gender Statistic MeasureFemales (Mexico)Males (Mexico)Total (Mexico)Females (Latin America)This group draws from the World Bank's "Latin America & Caribbean" aggregate, labeled as "Latin America" for brevity.Males (Latin America)Total (Latin America)Females (World)Males (World)Total (World)Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) in 202010.612.911.812.315.313.825.229.527.4Life expectancy at birth (years) in 202074.366.370.176.6069.6773.0474.8869.8272.27Expected years of schooling in 202015.114.314.715.2714.3414.8012.5012.5012.50Primary completion rate (% of relevant age group) in 2020103.7101.6102.799.9198.8299.3590.1390.6890.41Primary education, teachers (%) in 202069.430.6100.077.9822.02100.067.2832.72100.0Lower secondary completion rate (%) in 202092.688.590.582.9277.8680.3577.9876.9977.47Secondary education, pupils (%) in 201751.148.9100.050.1449.86100.047.9552.05100.0Secondary education, teachers (%) in 2020 51.748.3100.057.2942.71100.054.1545.85100.0Account ownership at a financial institution, (% age 15+) in 201733.341.136.952.0358.5955.1464.8572.2768.52Unemployment, (% of that gender's labor force, modeled ILO estimate) in 20214.24.54.412.318.3610.006.366.066.18Unemployment, youth (% of labor force ages 15–24, modeled ILO estimate) in 20218.67.98.125.8318.2521.3719.7117.3417.93Ratio of female to male youth unemployment rate (% ages 15–24, modeled ILO estimate) in 2021108.6138.57114.33Employment in agriculture, (% of employment of that gender) in 20193.617.912.57.0917.9920.3225.4127.6326.74Employment in industry, (% of employment of that gender) in 201917.130.725.511.6926.3220.3215.5327.2422.67Employment in services, (% of employment of that gender) in 201979.351.562.081.2255.6966.1859.0645.1350.59Self-employed, (% of employment of that gender) in 201932.831.432.036.4738.7837.8445.5147.0146.44Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases, ages 15–59, (%) in 201981.358.265.975.3351.0359.3165.8861.0262.83Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in 20201.91.882.30Literacy rate, adults (% of that gender ages 15 and above) in 202094.596.195.293.7294.5494.1183.4690.1686.81Literacy rate, youth (% of that gender ages 15–24) in 202099.299.099.198.6998.3398.5290.5592.9991.81Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) in 201733.074.00211.00Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births) in 20201.0391.0441.059Seats held in national parliaments (%)48.251.8100.032.7667.24100.025.5874.42100.0
Global rankings Various groups have ranked gender inequalities around the world. For example, the World Economic Forum publishes a Global Gender Gap Index score for each nation every year. The index focuses not on empowerment of women, but on the relative gap between men and women in four fundamental categories – economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. It includes measures such as estimated sex selective abortion, number of years the nation had a female head of state, female to male literacy rate, estimated income ratio of female to male in the nation, and several other relative gender statistic measures. It does not include factors such as crime rates against women versus men, domestic violence, honor killings or such factors. Where data is unavailable or difficult to collect, World Economic Forum uses old data or makes a best estimate to calculate the nation's Global Gap Index (GGI).
According to the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index (GGI) for 2022, Mexico was ranked 31st out of 146 countries for gender equality. It was ranked 113th in economic participation and opportunity, 60th in educational attainment, 15th in political empowerment, and 54th in health and survival.
The purpose of the Human Development Report is to change the focus of development economics and encourage countries to focus more on the individual development of all its people and less on national income and gross domestic product.Haq, Mahbub ul. 1995. Reflections on Human Development. New York: Oxford University Press. The Human Development Report determines which capabilities are most important in its ranking system by considering whether they are universally valued by large groups of people and whether they are basic, and would therefore hinder the realization of other capabilities. 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.
The United Nations' Gender Inequality Index (part of the Human Development Report) for 2016 had Mexico ranked 77th out of 188 countries for gender equality. Mexico's ranking on this index had gone down from its 2013 rank of 66th. This rank had gone up from its rank in 2012, which was 72nd. This is an improvement from its ranking in 2010, when it ranked 68th out of 169 countries.
Economic inequalities
Labor participation As of 1995, women made up only 29% of Mexico's economically active population and 23% of the wage earning economically active population. Since the 1990s, the number of women in the Mexican workforce has greatly increased while men's participation in the workforce has decreased. The actual percentages of employed versus unemployed women averages about 30-35%, while the percentage of employed men averages around 70%.
In addition, according to a study conducted by Margarita Valdés, 6% of those women in the workforce are either employed in the informal sector where they do not have a fixed salary or in the home-based industries sector where they receive no salary. More women are employed performing unpaid yet socially important and vital jobs than are men.
Many women work in maquiladoras, or export-based manufacturing operations. The maquiladora labor force is largely made up of women, even though women went from making up 80% of the labor force in the 1980s to only 58.8% by 2006. However, this does vary by region.Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). 2007. Industria maquiladora de exportación. Aguascalientes, México: INEGI. 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.Rosenbaum, Ruth. 2001. Making the Invisible Visible: A Study of Purchasing Power of Maquila Workers in México – 2000. Hartford, CT: Center for Reflection, Education and Action (CREA).Fussell, Elizabeth. 2000. Making Labor Flexible: The Recomposition of Tijuana's Maquiladora Female Labor Force. Feminist Economics 6(3): 59–79.
Because these salaries are insufficient, workers often find it necessary to supplement them with informal work.Informe. 2005. Situación de los derechos humanos en las maquilas de Ame ́rica Central [The human rights situation in the Central American maquilas]. Report 428/3, Federación Internacional de los Derechos Humanos. Maquiladoras also frequently use pregnancy tests in order to ensure they do not hire pregnant women. This fear tactic is also often used to frighten hired workers to not get pregnant in order to retain their employment. 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.Covarrubias, Alex and Gabriela Grijalva. 2004. Trabajo, salud y ciudadanía de las trabajadoras de la IME en Sonora [Work, health, and citizenship of women workers at IME in Sonora], in Gabriela Grijalva and Alex Covarrubias, eds. Las mujeres en la maquila: Trabajo, instituciones de apoyo y organizacio ́n sindical [Women in the maquila: work, support institutions, and trade union organizing], pp. 21–90. Hermosillo: El Colegio de Sonora/Instituto Sonorense de la Mujer.
Another study found that in professional and technical occupations, there are about 65 women to every 100 men. This study also found that the greatest economic gender inequality exists in business ownership, with 17 businesses owned by women to every 100 businesses owned by men.
Even though the rural laborer gender ratio is about equal, employment rates for women in the Mexican rural labor market are much lower than those of men. Studies also suggests that many women in rural communities feel that formal paid labor outside the home directly conflicts with the traditional role of women as homemakers.
Occupational segregation by gender
Occupational gender segregation takes the form of both horizontal segregation- the unequal gender distribution across occupations- and vertical segregation- the overrepresentation of men in higher positions in both traditionally male and traditionally female fields.
While occupational segregation exists in Mexico, segregation decreased between 1987 and 1993 from an occupational segregation index score of 26.6 to 23.5. 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.
Pay gap
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. According to the International Trade Union Confederation, the overall wage gap in Mexico as of 2008 is 17.4%. The gap varies by occupation; female teachers in Mexico make 91.2% of the salary of male teachers, while female industrial supervisors make only 66.9% of the wages earned by their male counterparts.
Education inequalities As of 2012, the World Economic Forum ranks Mexico 69th out of 135 countries in terms of gender equality in education attainment. Mexico also ranks 75th in equality in literacy rates, tied for first (at parity) in equality in primary and secondary education enrollment, and 98th in equality in tertiary education enrollment. 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.
A study conducted by Sonia Frias found that in many Mexican states, the number of average years of education is at parity for men and women and literacy rates are nearly equal (100 literate men to 98 literate women); the gap, however, increases in college and graduate education, with 78 and 54 women to 100 men respectively. This study also found that there were only 31 women to every 100 men in STEM fields of education. In addition, as of 1995, 15% of the female population of Mexico is illiterate.
Mexico is one of the few countries where the government has taken sexual stereotypes out of textbooks.