Mujeres Today in México

In the last blog post it talked about the gender ideology of mujeres in México. In this blog post it would talk about the current status of what mujeres are doing in México.

Fact and figures of Mujeres in México

Mexican mujeres working in the field

Mujeres made up 14% of the work force in 1910. By 2008 it increase by 38%. The stereotype that Mexican mujeres job is at home is being shattered. The men are not the only ones being the providers at home any more. In terms of education almost four million mujeres who are 15 years or older are illiterate. 92% of niñas between the ages of 6 and 14 attend school. Maternal deaths had lowed incredibly as 78% of mujeres could expect to give birth in a hospital or clinic. By the end of the 20^th century 95% of mujeres of reproductive age knew about at least one type of contraceptive.

In the public life mujeres are doing great compare to a century ago. Mujeres did not vote until 1953.  Still today there are 140 (28%) mujeres deputies in the present legislature. The law in México states that no more than 70% of a party’s candidates must be from a single gender. Which means that at least 30% must be mujeres. However the problem was that after eight mujeres sworn in they immediately attempted to resign. In process they turn over their seats to male running mates and in law it is seen as a formal requirement.

As it show there has been change but there are still problems. Mujeres are still exclusively responsible for housework. My mama and aunts still see to it that I learn how to do household work in order to please my future husband. Since I am a female they feel that I should follow the gender binary of a mujer.  Mujeres are joining the work field but 84% of mujeres that make the same as their male counterpart earn   have to work on average five hours longer each week. In order to support their families mujeres are joining the ranks of the burgeoning informal sector.

Footnotes taken from International Viewpoint to get a closer idea of México today:

-  The little census data that exists for 1910 shows that almost 70% of those economically active were in agriculture and animal husbandry, while today, more than half are in the service sector and one-quarter employed in industry or construction.

-  In 1929, 45% of homes were still made of adobe and only 3% of brick or other solid materials; by 2000, 9.9% were made of adobe and 78.9% of solid materials. In 1950, only 17% of homes had running water either inside or outside the dwelling, compared to 88% in 2005. As late as 1960, 82.5% of homes still cooked on wood fires, while by 2000, this number had dropped to 18.1%. Only 20.9% of homes had bathrooms with toilets in 1960, compared to 86.6% in 2000; and as late as 1970, 41% of homes had dirt floors, a number that had dropped to 13.4% by 2000.

- The case of three indigenous Zapatista women raped by troops in 1994, the 2006 rape of 14 sex workers in the Castaños, Coahuila red light district by soldiers, the rape and sexual harassment by police of 26 women detained in a 2006 mass arrest in Atenco, State of Mexico, and the 2007 death of a 73-year-old Ernestina Asencio Rosario, in Zongolica, Veracruz, after being gang raped by soldiers are merely the most publicized examples.

- For a woman to get a divorce on the grounds of adultery, the act had to have taken place in the family home; the man had to have lived with his mistress; or the husband had to have mistreated physically or verbally or publicly insulted his wife.

- Although the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) was not established until 1944, it was not until 1973 that the IMSS set up its first child care centers; at the same time, the Mexican government was also beginning a big push to lower the birth rate in accordance with McNamara’s worldwide population control policies. On the other hand, the right to “protection” in the workplace also eventually led to women being unfairly excluded from some jobs, a contradiction found in many countries’ legislation.

Resource:

http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1922