Mexico Gender Assessment

Abstract

Gender equality is a key pathway to ensuring lasting poverty reduction and shared prosperity. Identifying the main gender gaps that a country faces, across different domains, better informs policy design. To that effect, this report seeks to identify where progress has been achieved in increasing opportunities and outcomes for women and men in Mexico and where further policy action is required. It focuses on three areas that are critical for gender-equal access to opportunities: (a) endowments, such as health and education; (b) economic opportunities, such as access to labor, land, and financial markets; and (c) agency, including norms, representation, and freedom from violence (World Bank 2012). The report takes advantage of the existing literature as well as different sources of publicly available data for the country and aims to provide a panorama of the prevailing gender gaps and areas for work to close those gaps, covering a wide range of outcomes. As such, it seeks to serve as a guiding document for policy action and dialogue, further research, and public discussion. With respect to health, three issues stand out. First, teenage pregnancy is very high relative to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and is especially frequent among poor, low-educated, and indigenous girls. Second, although maternal mortality rates have declined, they are still very high in some regions and among vulnerable population groups, including rural and indigenous women. Finally, the incidence of obesity is among the highest in the world, which is linked to high incidence of diabetes and diabetes-related deaths, particularly among women. When it comes to education, gender gaps in enrollment and attainment are still a concern in lagging regions, where women face an especially large risk of dropping out, largely because of teenage pregnancy. Tertiary education, although more common now than ever before, is still far from being available to all women. Moreover, Mexico is among the lowest-ranking performers in international standardized tests among OECD countries, with girls underperforming more than boys, especially beginning in upper-secondary school. Differences in learning are reflected in educational choices, as women and men are still segregated across fields of education and areas of specialization. Beyond human capital endowments, it is difficult to imagine that women can thrive without access to productive inputs, including physical and financial assets, particularly if they are the sole breadwinners. In 2018, 65 percent of women did not own a high-value asset.