Mexican woman now outnumber men in government – Level 2

In recent years, Mexico has made big strides in ensuring women are well represented in politics. In 2009, most political positions were held by men. However, things have changed a lot since then. Thanks to laws aimed at achieving gender parity, more women are now in leadership roles.

Mexico now has a female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and women hold many important positions in her government. For example, 11 out of 22 members of her cabinet are women. This is a higher percentage than in the United States, where only about 21.7% of President Donald Trump’s cabinet members were women.

Women also lead 42% of Mexico’s state governments, including Mexico City, where Mayor Clara Brugada is in charge. In the federal Congress, 64 of the 128 senators are women. This is much higher than in the U.S. Senate, where only 26% of the senators are women.

In the Federal Chamber of Deputies, which is Mexico’s lower house of Congress, more than half of the representatives are women. Out of 500 seats, 253 are currently held by women. This makes Mexico’s representation much better compared to the U.S. House of Representatives, where only 28.5% of the representatives are women.

Bridging words

These words sound similar in English and Spanish: Why not practice them now?

Time to discuss

• Why is gender parity important in politics?
• How does having more women in leadership roles affect society?
• What changes might occur if more countries achieve gender parity in government?

Let’s Write

Answer the following questions in one paragraph

• How has Mexico improved women’s representation in government?
• Compare the percentage of female political leaders in Mexico with that of the United States.