Advancing support for gender equality among women in Mexico: Significance of labor force participation

Abstract

Improvements in women’s support for gender equality have for long been a crucial component of social policies in developing countries such as Mexico. Women’s entry into the labor force is associated with higher levels of support for gender equality. It can be expected that working women are more supportive of gender equality than nonworking women. However, the gap in support for gender equality between employed women and full-time housewives could derive from differences in their education level, age, and level of support within the household rather than from their employment-related characteristics. Using the Blinder–Oaxaca method, this article decomposes the impact of women’s participation in the labor market and socioeconomic characteristics on women’s support for gender equality in Mexico. Results of this study suggest that a large share of the difference in levels of support for gender equality between nonworking and working women may be attributed to broad-level socioeconomic changes.