Gender-based violence in mexico became rampant in the 1990’s.
Femicides in Mexico are at an all time high. Women feel unsafe in their own homes and fear for their life every day.
Why are women feeling unsafe in mexico?
On average 10 women die in mexico due to gender-based violence (Fabiola and Fernanda, 2022). Also, they feel like their voices are not being heard by the government.
Mexican President, Manuel Lopez Obrador, was unsympathetic to women’s issues. He has taken away funding from programs that help women. He has stated that “People want to change women’s roles and that is one of the just causes of feminism, but the tradition in Mexico is daughter are the ones who care the most for parents,” Lopez Obrador said. “We men are more detached” (Reuters, 2020). His remarks sparked the revolution.
As form of protest, women in Mexico City decided to stay home on March 9, 2020. They did this in order to prove that they should be protected and taken seriously.
Reaction from the Mexican President:
“The women’s one-day strike should not have a big impact on the economy”
(Peter Orsi, March 9, 2020)
Comment from a female bakery shop owner:
“The business would take an economic hit, but it was important to call attention to all the ways women are under attack in Mexico — not only murder, disappearance and rape, but also home and workplace discrimination and lack of equal opportunity”
(Peter Orsi, March 9, 2020)
80,000 women and allies marched in Mexico City. They wore the color purple, which symbolized how the flowers, jacarandas, were blooming for spring time. There were other protests around Mexico but Mexico City had the biggest one. What would they chant?
“Ni una más, ni una más, ni una asesinada más"(Kendal, Rodrigo, Lauren, 2020).
Translated:
“Not one more, not one more, not one more murdered” #NOS
There has been some progress but more is needed to fully end gender inequality
Some examples of how Mexico is becoming more progressive:
- Closing the gender gap in tertiary world GDP by 26% by 2025 which is around 28 trillion dollars. Furthermore, if Mexico, US, and Canada were to close the gender gap, the GDP would increase by 5.5 trillion (Cecily, 2021).
In summary, the Purple Revolution was a movement created by women and their allies to champion women’s rights in Mexico. It started in response to the ongoing femicides and an unsympathetic response from it’s president. Women marched in the streets of Mexico and stayed home for “A Day Without Women” to prove their worth and power. The Purple Revolution ultimately allowed women to change the social and cultural structures of Mexico.
Reuters. (2020, June 26). Mexico president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador slammed for saying women should stay at home. NBCNews.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mexico-president-andres-manuel-l opez-obrador-slammed-saying-women-should-n1232218
Sanchez, F., & Pesce, F. (2022, December 26). Femicides in Mexico: Little progress on longstanding issue.APNEWS. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-caribbean-gender-6594c9b2c9ea39a5 2dc3204e16be704c#:~:text=The%20country%20saw%20more%20than, are%20killed%20daily%20in%20Mexico.
Doubek, J. (2020, March 9). Mexican women stay home to protest femicides in 'A day without us'. NPR. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2020/03/09/813699719/mexican-women-stay-hometo-protest-femicides-in-a-day-without-us
The purple revolution: Women fight against violence and impunity in Mexico. Fronteras. (2020,April 24). Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1475846/purple-revolution-women-fight -against-violence-and-impunity-mexico
Infographic: Women rising: Reaching gender equality in Mexico. Wilson Center. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/infographic-women-rising-reaching-g ender-equality-mexico#:~:text=Over%20the%20past%20three%20decad es,force%20participation%2C%20and%20political%20leadership
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