Insights from Bloomberg, Este Pais, Al Jazeera and Foreign Policy
The news
Mexico is expected to elect its first female president this weekend; former mayor of Mexico City Claudia Sheinbaum leads in the polls, while former senator Xóchitl Gálvez is behind.
The election would represent a milestone for gender parity in the country and occurs at a time when gender inequality and security are a priority for voters. More than 2.5 million women work in the largely unregulated domestic work industry, where they often face abuse. At the same time, the number of missing people in Mexico now exceeds 110,000 and homicides are on the rise.
SIGNALS
Outgoing President López Obrador Leaves Voters Yearning for Security
The current president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), instituted policies that reduced the poverty rate significantly, but he has less of a track record on security, leaving voters wanting more from the next president. During the 2018 campaign, AMLO promised to investigate missing persons cases, but some families accused him of “focusing more on polishing his own image than on producing substantial results,” noted Al Jazeera. Government funds, in turn, have privileged Infrastructure projects, while murders increased. Some mothers of missing children said they are ambivalent and “don’t believe in anything” said on the trail.
A female president may not necessarily have a feminist agenda
Although two candidates lead the race, “it is unclear how much this will change the reality of working women in the country”, observed the Associated Press. There are still disparities in pay and influence between men and women in Mexico, with only 47% of women active in the job market, compared to 76% of men, while 2.5 million domestic workers – many of whom are women – exist in a form of “modern slavery”. A woman in the national palace does not mean they will prioritize equality, abortion rights advocate Ninde MolRe wrote in Este Pais, as others have done.used political positions to get where they are, but then they have to comply with party discipline.”
Sheinbaum’s track record indicates where she may diverge from AMLO’s legacy
The election favorite, Claudia Sheinbaum, handled gender issues in Mexico City in a markedly different way than the federal government, including the creation of more daycares and overseeing a drop in the murders of women and girls. She also promised to put more lawyers in Public Prosecutor’s Offices and to address domestic violence, Foreign Policy reported. Analysts say Sheinbaum, a trained physicist, could also take over policies more focused on climate change. Although Sheinbaum largely chose avoid talking about specific security policies during the presidential debates, El Universal noted that she could also expand the National Guard’s capabilities as first responders.
