As a Mexican American women I have personally witness the socially constructed gender roles of a Mexican woman. This week I will be answering the questions: is the majority of Mexican women educated and factors that influence women education? Several young girls experience the harsh reality of being a woman in Mexico.
To understand the inequality between men and women we have to understand the traditional gender terms “machismo” and marianismo” which play a role in shaping gender roles within the Mexican culture. Machismo is describing a man’s masculinity as independent, strong, dominant, and breadwinner. Woman in Mexico are known for having marianismo traits referring to their femininity, nurturing, modesty, and housewife. These traditional gender role play a big factor in the lack of education for women in Mexico.
Women in Mexico lack the opportunity for an education due to machismo men, violence, lack of representation and oppression. As data shows, women along the ages of 15-29th years old are looking for jobs than seeking a higher education (OECD, 2014). These young girls are all forced to dropped out of school in order to contribute to their household duties. This goes back to the term “marianismo” for women because they are expected to clean, cook, raise their children, etc. Also several fathers do not like their daughter traveling from rural to urban communities to attend college. Several rural communities do not have college or higher education opportunities.
Mexico are placed 8th for children marriages, major factors being gender inequality and domestic violence against women. Between the age of 15, roughly 10% of Mexican girls are being married. Men are very dominant in the Mexican culture resulting in domestic violence. Women are being arranged in forced marriages with older man. Mexico gender inequality has robbed young Mexican girls from their innocence and education.
With a higher access to education, Mexican girls have a higher chance to control their bodies and future. In a Washington Post studies it shows that young girls are becoming interested in STEM programs. Roughly Mexico had 130,000 more engineer’s than Canada, Germany and Brazil. Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education teamed up with Mexican Academy of Science and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in creating and promoting STEM programs to Mexican girls, Mujeres en STEM. Mexico education is improving, along with women rights in Mexico. Girls are starting to attend college more, they are seeking paid employments, education is becoming more affordable, women voices are beginning to be heard.
To answer the question, the majority of Mexican girls lack education due to traditional Mexican gender roles. Mexican women face several barriers, because education is not 100% accessible from young girls.

Word Cited

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2014). Education at a Glance, Mexico. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/edu/Mexico-EAG2014-Country-Note.pdf.

Project, Borgen. “Girls’ Education in Mexico.” The Borgen Project, Borgen Project Https://Borgenproject.org/Wp-Content/Uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.Jpg, 31 July 2018, borgenproject.org/girls-education-in-mexico/. https://borgenproject.org/girls-education-in-mexico/

“Women’s Rights in Mexico #2.” Womens Rights and Education, wordpress.clarku.edu/id125-womansrightsedu/blog-posts/womens-rights-in-mexico-2/. https://wordpress.clarku.edu/id125-womansrightsedu/blog-posts/womens-rights-in-mexico-2/