BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 5

Mexico is an important case for SDG 5 because it has made significant progress in establishing gender equality within its legal and political framework. Constitutional reforms and gender parity measures have increased women’s representation in political institutions, while national policies have strengthened the protection of women’s rights.

Political participation is one of Mexico’s main achievements. Women hold approximately half of the seats in the national parliament, reflecting the impact of gender parity policies. The country has also strengthened its institutional framework through national programmes promoting substantive equality between women and men.

However, important challenges remain. Gender-based violence, unequal access to economic opportunities, and the unequal distribution of unpaid care work continue to affect women. These challenges can be particularly significant for Indigenous, rural, and economically disadvantaged women.

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Gender-based violence remains a major concern. Domestic and sexual violence, femicide, and violence against women in public and political life continue to require stronger prevention, protection, and access to justice.

Economic inequality is another important issue. Female labour-force participation remains below that of many OECD countries, while women are more likely to work in informal employment and to interrupt their careers because of family responsibilities.

Unpaid care work also contributes to gender inequality. Women spend considerably more time than men on household and caregiving responsibilities, which can limit their participation in paid employment and public life.

LIST OF REFERENCES

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (n.d.). Mexico. OECD.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (n.d.). Mexico. United Nations Human Rights Office.

United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). Mexico: Human Development Report data. Human Development Reports.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). SDG indicators: Mexico country profile. United Nations.

UN Women. (n.d.). Mexico country data. UN Women Data Hub.

UN Women. (n.d.). Mexico. UN Women Mexico.

AICESIS. (2023, August 24). Online meeting on gender equality and youth: Mexico speech.

Government of Mexico. (2024). Fourth voluntary national review: Mexico 2024.

Sustainable Development Solutions Network. (2025). Mexico: Sustainable Development Report 2025. Sustainable Development Report.

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. (2025, March 31). SDG 5: Gender equality. Progress in Latin America and the Caribbean up to 2025. United Nations.

USEFUL LINKS

• Country report/Voluntary National Reviews

  • https://agenda2030.mx/index.html?lang=en#/home 

  • https://aicesis.org/index.php/en/publications-docman/publications/2023-08-24-online-meeting/190-translation-mexico-speech-eng-24-august/file 

  • https://www.cepal.org/en/publications/81888-sdg-5-gender-equality-progress-latin-america-and-caribbean-2025 

• Bibliography and UN pages about this country:

  • UNPD:https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data?/countries/MEX 

  • OECD: https://www.oecd.org/en/countries/mexico.html 

  • UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/mex 

  • UN human rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/mexico 

  • Index: https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/mexico/ 

  • UN WOMEN count: https://data.unwomen.org/country/mexico 

  • UN women: https://mexico.unwomen.org/es