Mexico prepares for its first female president amid doubts about the advancement of rights

The mexican elections on Sunday will most likely result in a woman winning the presidency for the first time, since the main candidates are the ruling party Claudia Sheinbaum and the opposition Xóchitl Gálvez, a historic event in a country that is suffering from a wave of sexist violence.

But the imminent arrival of a woman to the Presidency of Mexico, although it means breaking the glass ceiling, will not necessarily imply a fundamental change in the gender agenda for the country, specialists warn.

“The fact that women come to power does not necessarily mean that they will arrive with a clear agenda in terms of gender and that they will take up the banner of those demands that have been made by the different feminist movements. “It does not guarantee us a fundamental change,” comments Helena Varela, researcher at the Universidad Iberoamericana.

Even so, the political scientist recognizes that the possible victory of Sheinbaum or Gálvez means breaking gender barriers and is the result of women’s long struggle to occupy positions of power.

“If we think that a few decades ago the presence of women in the political arena was minimal, the fact that we are now talking about this issue, considering that a woman will govern us as president of the republic, I believe that it is a very important advance. ”it states.

Christian Salazar, a specialist in electoral systems and professor at the Acatlán Faculty of Higher Studies of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), agrees that the election of a female president is a “fundamental and equitable advance for the condition of women.” .

“It speaks of an inclusive society that practices substantive equality and, above all, that does justice to the numbers because the country’s population is mostly women and in that sense representation must be reflected.”he points out.

High expectations among voters

The possibility of a female president has generated many expectations in the female electorate, who trust that gender conditions in the country will change.

“I say that it is fair and it is time for women to be taken into account, women are the 51% who votes”, says Hilda Paulín Saules, a resident of Mexico City.

Meanwhile, Catalina Fierro, also from the capital, stated that it is important for a woman to become president because there has been a “total imbalance” in the power. Gálvez’s follower considers that, if she wins the elections, “would represent the majority of women.”

“Now, in Mexico City or the country, there are almost more women than men and, apart from that, because she has been supporting us in various situations that we, as women, have.”, he thinks.

Esther Núñez Acosta indicates that it will be something “amazing” a woman as president, since Mexico continues to be a very “sexist”. “It would be an important watershed to generate and close that clamp,” think. “The gender issue is still very enslaved, more towards women”the Mint.

No clear agenda

For Varela, the gender agenda is always an issue that is uncomfortable at a political level and he even claims that both Sheinbaum and Gálvez have discussed it as little as possible.

“They make very superficial statements, very much along the lines that they are with women and are going to act against violence, but in reality there are very few concrete proposals”he emphasizes.

Remember that during her tenure as head of Government of Mexico City (2018-2023), Sheinbaum did not have a relationship “very fluid” with the feminist movement.

“Every time there were demonstrations, a narrative was used that tried to present these groups as violent and there they argued that the way to fight for women must be different, no, and that separated her from many (feminist) groups.”ditch.

Important challenges

Salazar specifies that the woman who comes to power will face important challenges and the main one is combating gender violence in a country where 10 women are murdered a day, according to official figures.

“Continue to provide a context of peace and development in equity towards women and try to eradicate and punish all those actions that injure and harm women, especially in their integrity, in their thinking and in their freedom,” he emphasizes.

Both experts agree that they will have to continue working to close the gaps and open more spaces.

“I would say that Mexico needs a woman to govern us because of her qualities, but it also requires a vision that addresses them (women) from their perspective and that makes this election historic.””says Salazar.

Meanwhile, Varela considers it important to normalize women holding positions of power of this type.

“The great step of reaching the presidency of the republic in some way helps us as a society, because now we still have to validate it and we have to recognize it. Hopefully in a few years this will no longer seem like news to us.”he concludes.

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