Abstract

CARDENAS ACOSTA, Georgina. Women mayors in Mexico 2017, an overview. La ventana [online]. 2019, vol.6, n.50, pp.9-44. ISSN 1405-9436.

In 2017 female mayors made up 14.2% (349) of all mayoral positions in the country, thanks to the gender equity principle incorporated into Mexican regulatory norms. On the one hand, arguably gradual progress has been made in terms of gender equity within the municipalities. However, hegemonic masculinity still has a strong presence at this level of government: for every female mayor governing, there are 6 male mayors. Based on a 10% sample of total women mayors in Mexico, and analyzing their profiles and professional trajectories, one thing becomes clear: these women continue to face a series of obstacles in obtaining and retaining their current positions. This is the result of a political culture that seems to seek to exclude women from the public sphere. We can also identify certain elements related to gender and political violence against women. In some cases, political violence can mean intimidation and threats, but it can also be as extreme as kidnappings and/or assassinations of family members. Women mayors know the main general problems within their own municipalities, but thanks to the institutional and legislative achievements the feminist movement wrought, these women can recognize much easier the core issues facing women. And while only half of these women, most of them manage to implement programs, protocols, rules, that attend to women’s needs directly.

Keywords : parity; women mayors; profiles; trajectories; political violence against women.

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