Can Mexico’s first female president put an end to machismo?

By: Miguel Hernandez

(Listen to our audio in Spanish and Mixteco, Guadalupe Nundaca Variant)

Sunday, June 2, 2024, marked history for Mexico by electing the first female president in its history. Claudia Sheinbaun, the 61-year-old climate scientist, won by a landslide over her main rival, Xochtil Gálvez, obtaining 59 percent of the Mexican vote. In this historic event, many wonder if this can be a turning point towards the culture of misogyny and gender violence that exists in Mexican society. 

A study by the National Library of Medicine showed that “Mexico is recognized for having one of the highest rates of femicides internationally, a trend that many suggest is increasing. “Ten women a day die from feminicide in this Latin American country.”

These increasing rates of violence against women in Mexico are of great concern to many Latina women, as many feel that this is a problem that has not yet been resolved in society. 

A survivor of domestic violence mentioned that she feels that there is a long pattern of generational machismo that lives within Mexican culture and that subjects women to be victims of all types of violence. 

This survivor, who asked to remain anonymous for this interview, also mentioned that she has seen how difficult it is for men to change. She says that men who decide to break the lineage of machismo are marginalized and belittled by other men of their culture. 

The researchers also point out that “The Mexican case is of great interest due to the culture of machismo that drives violence against women and feminicide, by tacitly supporting male control in the home and the use of violence against the partner and the male. spouse”. 

Latino men on the other hand have recounted how the toxic masculinity that exists among their culture has affected their own mental health. However, there is optimism that with the growing concern about mental health and the arrival of the first Mexican president, these dynamics will change.