Women in charge of local council administrations in Mexico

Abstract

This article reflects on the low levels of female participation in local government administrations in Mexico, as well as on the paradox resulting from the fact that their roles as mothers, wives, citizens and social organizers make the local government sphere closest to women in their daily lives but at the same time most distant in terms of access to public office or to civil service positions. The importance of gender plurality, as important as political plurality in the social and political democratization of Mexico, is also highlighted, as are the results of a recent research project examining the extent to which women currently hold public office as mayors –women accounted for just 3.4% of the total in March 2002– as well as the policies in favour of women carried out by these female mayors in their municipalities.

Keywords

• mujeres y gobiernos locales
• alcaldesas en méxico
• mujeres, partidos políticos y gobiernos municipales
• liderazgos femeninos y gobiernos locales