By Elena Mass, WILPF Boston Branch member
Mexico has continued to advance women’s rights in North America as part of its Fourth Transformation. With the establishment of the Federal Secretariat (Ministry) of Women, launched by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, Mexico is now setting a radically inclusive social justice standard nationwide.
During my visit to Mexico City this March, I engaged with the Women’s Secretariat to learn about the daily progress since the Ministry’s founding. Sheinbaum’s feminist leadership has strengthened new rights and protective regulations, all of which are reinforced by constitutional support and coordinated multi-departmental enforcement.
Landmark Reforms: Legal, Health, and Economic Advances
The following advancements have been made under Sheinbaum’s leadership:
- In April, Mexico established a free National Health Policy for all citizens, set to begin in 2027.
- In 2024, Article 4 of the Constitution was revised to broaden protections for pay equality, violence-free living, and the non-criminalization of abortion.
- A new national health program aims to reduce child and maternal mortality and communicable diseases. Health cards are now being distributed to facilitate record keeping and ensure proper identification for care. Mexico is moving toward universal health care by 2027.
- Mexico is recognizing women’s agricultural achievements, supporting equity for women farmers and landowners. A recent ceremony in Mexico City honored Indigenous and rural women for their leadership, and millions received booklets outlining women’s rights—many translated into native languages.
- Millions of women aged 60-65 have begun receiving a regular bi-monthly housework pension, or Tarjeta Del Bienestar—a long-sought recognition of a lifetime of unpaid domestic work.
Tackling Gender-Based Violence and Promoting Equality
On International Women’s Day, I witnessed thousands of people adorned in lavender marching along Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma. Their demands for safety, security, stronger anti-violence measures, and greater investigation into disappearances and femicides remain top priorities for the current feminist administration.
Mexico’s Secretary of Women, Citlalli Hernández Mora, has traveled throughout the country alongside the president to promote national participation in the women’s rights and empowerment movement sweeping Mexico.
At a recent press conference, she declared: “Let it be known that today we have a woman president, a Ministry of Women with a firm conviction to work every day to combat violence and to move ever closer to the long-awaited equality that women and men are building together.”
Community Initiatives: Centro LIBRE and Tejadores
The Women’s Ministry’s 2026 budget, developed in collaboration with state and municipal leaders, allocates over $45 million to anti-violence initiatives. Through the Awareness and Integration Program for Women (PAIBIM), programs like Centro LIBRE deliver wide-reaching support and outreach in partnership with national and local organizations.
These centers are being established across Mexico as safe spaces for women to access legal advice, psychological support, education, and social services to combat violence and promote equality. Across thousands of municipalities, teams of volunteers known as Tejadores are collaborating to bring these centers to life.
The centers provide spaces for community members to gather and share experiences of domestic or social threats and abuses, working together with civic and security forces to coordinate effective solutions.
Women will also be able to monitor digital platforms and have access to hotlines to report demeaning images, online abuse, or “fake news,” bolstering media scrutiny by concerned individuals and groups.
Centro LIBRE is expanding its health programs in partnership with the Secretariat and state governments, tailoring benefits to the specific needs of women across the country. Municipalities are actively participating in a nationwide house-to-house information-gathering campaign to ensure comprehensive coverage.
The first Secretariat, Citlalli, described Centro LIBRE’s work under PAIBIM as “a permanent campaign for equality and against violence towards women.” In a recent address, she contrasted the past omission of Indigenous women’s contributions with the emergence of new municipal networks that provide robust social programs and assistance.
Honoring Women’s Contributions: Margarita Maza and Zapatista Women’s Museum
On the 200th anniversary of her birth, Mexico honored Margarita Maza as a national icon. As the first Mexican ambassador to the United States and wife of Benito Juárez, she helped build US support during the Franco-Mexican War, contributed to the end of Emperor Maximilian’s rule, and is remembered for her humanitarian work.
The Zapatista Women’s Museum was also inaugurated in Morelos this year. The inauguration, which occurred on the anniversary of Emiliana Zapata’s death, marks another milestone in the country’s ongoing growth under the Fourth Transformation.
The Impact of Mexico’s Feminist Leadership
Mexico’s Fourth Transformation stands as a testament to the nation’s commitment to gender equality and social justice. The collective impact of constitutional reforms, ambitious economic policies, and targeted social programs has not only improved women’s everyday lives but also driven measurable economic growth, as evidenced by a more than 4% rise in the consumer index. As Mexico continues to prioritize women’s rights, its progress offers a model for feminist policy and inclusive development in the region and beyond.
Resources for further learning:
U.N. Coverage of Women’s Progress in Mexico: https://press.un.org/en/2012/wom1917.doc.htm
Mexico’s Extraordinary Changes – Report by Ellen Mass, 1/21/26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stNqObwKftc
