Mexico is experiencing a historical period of poor democracy, deep inequality and alarming polarization. In that context, the moment that so many of us have been waiting for for decades has finally arrived: the day when our top leader of the State is a woman; someone who truly represents women’s causes to create a different vision of governing Mexico. Although being a woman does not guarantee it, nor does good governance, it is an opportunity to give voice to problems and strategies that until now have remained behind the scenes. It sounds like an impossible dream, a chimera that is not compatible with the system in which we are immersed, however, it is finally within our reach.
It has been 70 years since we obtained the right to vote and be voted for in 1953. Since then there have been 8 women who have sought the presidency of the Republic: Rosario Ibarra de Piedra, Cecilia Soto, Marcela Lombardo, Patricia Mercado Josefina Vázquez Mota, Margarita Zavala and currently two candidates: Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Galvezwho lead the polls of the two main political forces in the country.
Now times have changed. According to an opinion study by INEGI, 9 out of 10 people endorse let a woman be presidentwith less than 10% of citizens still refusing to vote for a women. Statistics that prove without a doubt that Mexico it is changing. Even when certain male characters insist on arriving in 2024, it is clear that it is women’s time. It is urgent to pay off the democratic debt we owe: more than half of the population are women and we have not been represented.
The dream of many is Let a woman reach the presidential chair that really gives a transcendental turn to the way of governing in MexicoAn immeasurable challenge, because one must also consider that being a woman does not mean one is governed better, as Denise Dresser pointed out in her column “Skirts are also cruel.” However, in the case of Mexico the obstacle does not lie – until now – in its candidates, but rather in the system and in the men of both political forces that cling to control of politics in Mexico.
The word “democracy” means “the power of the people.” That is the fight in which we have to join together with our next president. We citizens have great power that we exercise little. Our next president needs us, because no one can transform an entire system unilaterally. We have an excellent citizen participation laboratory from which we have a lot to learn: Mexico City is the closest thing to an awakened society, with great citizen impetus it manifests itself in the face of unjust situations.
According to the map “Women in Politics: 2023” published by the UN, women lead portfolios of human rights, social protection and gender equality, fundamental issues for new times after a devastating pandemic that brought us an unprecedented reality. It is worth mentioning that leaders such as Angela Merkel, Jacinda Arden and Tsai Ing-Wen demonstrated exceptional qualities that saved millions of lives, exercising a different form of power management.
He 2024 represents an opportunity for democracy in Mexico, already an unprecedented transition that promises to catapult our country to progress and inclusion. Without a doubt a woman will carry the country’s strings, however, the challenge she will face is enormous. We cannot leave her alone, nor carry all the weight of the transformation we deserve on her shoulders. We need to get involved today more than ever. For us, for all Mexicans, for the Mexico of tomorrow.
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