Presence of women in Mexican politics continues to be weak

This year more than 1,000 women will be candidates for a position in the Mexican government or legislature in 13 states and political parties will be forced by law to apply gender equality.

The first year in which gender equality was applied in Mexico was in 2015 elections, when political parties postulated the same number of male and female candidates.

However after citizens complaints, the Electoral Court of the Judicial Power (TEPFJ) determined that parties should have vertical equality, which means candidates should be postulated alternately (i.e. one man-one woman).

On June 5 political parties will apply this rule in their candidatures in Baja California, Veracruz and Sinaloa.

María Teresa Hevia, researcher and specialist in gender equality, said that female candidates should have a career within the party and political capital, instead of choosing unexperienced women close to leaders or even relatives that can be easily controlled.

She added that in the last election in Chiapas, 11 of 12 parties did not fulfill the gender equality quota arguing an insufficient number of female candidates. For example the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) registered 102 male candidates and only 14 female candidates; the Green Party (PVEM) 106 vs. 14; the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) 73 vs. 26 and the Labor Party 63 vs. 5.

In the end political parties, especially the PVEM, registered daughters, sisters and wives of politicians.

At the request of the National Electoral Institute (INE), Javier Aparicio, researcher at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), conducted a study on gender equality in 2009, 2012 and 2015 elections.

The study revealed that women are usually nominated to losing districts, while male candidates are nominated to winning districts.

For example in 2009 the National Action Party (PAN) nominated 78 female candidates to losing districts, 84 in 2012 and 117 in 2015. In contrast, there were only 19 female candidates to winning districts in 2009, 22 in 2012 and 10 in 2015.

Six years ago the PRI nominated female candidates to 27 losing districts, 61 in the next election and 49 in 2015. In contrast only 18, 25 and 55 female candidates respectively were nominated to wining districts.

The PRD nominated 71 female candidates to losing districts, 89 in 2012 and 106 last year, while 9 women were nominated to winning districts in 2009, 21 three years ago and 26 last year.

Nonetheless, women won in 43 losing districts in 2015, according to data from the INE.