Mexico commits to better coordination of national gender equality actions, scaled up measures on reproductive health (updated)
![“We will have, at the ministerial level, the coordination of the work of our national activity on equality of men and women; ... we will promote more shared responsibility between men and women to improve on the distribution of work in the home; [and] we will scale up actions to reduce adolescent pregnancies and to reduce maternal mortality.” –Enrique Peña Nieto, President, Mexico (Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown)](/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Images/Initiatives/StepItUp/Commitments/Mexico-StepItUp-Commitment-en.jpg?la=en)
Mexico has integrated gender across its strategy guiding international support for development, and put gender equality at the core of the national development plan. Political reform committing parties to ensuring that women fill 50 per cent of legislative candidacies led to women winning 42 per cent of seats in the recently elected Chamber of Deputies.
To continue moving towards greater equality, the Government will implement three important measures. At the ministerial level, it will coordinate national work on the equality of men and women. It will promote more shared responsibility between men and women to improve the distribution of work in the home. And it will scale up actions to prevent adolescent pregnancies and reduce maternal mortality.
Speaking at the Global Leaders' Meeting on 27 September 2015, President Enrique Peña Nieto said: “The sustained development of the world could be achieved if women have the same opportunities as men, for health, study, work, decision-making, and in building their own lives.” [ Speech ]
Developments since Mexico’s commitment
Mexico has implemented the following mechanisms in order to fulfill the commitments made to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.
At the Ministerial level, the National System for Equality between Women and Men has been implemented. Additionally, the Mexican Regulation on Labour Equality and Non-Discrimination has been developed to promote maternity protection, paternity leave, flexible schedules and remote working arrangements that allow women and men to balance work life with domestic responsibilities.
The Government has also implemented full-time schools and child care facilities. It is also working on an infrastructure to assist teenagers as part of the measures to prevent teenage pregnancy and to reduce maternal death.
Mexico has installed 3,677 Centers of Rural Assistance to inform women about their sexual and reproductive rights and currently Mexican healthcare services can provide 12 kinds of contraceptives, including emergency contraceptive to teenagers. [ Full update (in Spanish) ]