Meet The Women Campaigning to Become Mexico’s First Female President.

By Caroline Ameh

In the midst of Mexico’s presidential election fervor, Claudia Sheinbaum, the leading candidate, arrives at a rally in the bustling city of Orizaba, greeted by chants of “Presidenta!” from the enthusiastic crowd. Many believe that Sheinbaum is on the verge of making history as Mexico’s first female president, a sentiment echoed by the polls.

With her closest competitor, Xóchitl Gálvez, also a woman, and the lone male candidate trailing far behind, Mexico stands poised to shatter centuries of male dominance in its highest office.

Sheinbaum, representing the governing Morena party, sees the candidacy of two women as a sign of societal evolution, both within Mexico and globally. She emphasizes the importance of gender parity and acknowledges the need for further action to combat violence against women, a pervasive issue in Mexican society.

Despite challenges, such as the deeply ingrained machismo culture and the prevalence of gender-based violence, Sheinbaum remains steadfast in her commitment to continue the social and political initiatives initiated by her mentor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly known as Amlo.

Throughout her campaign, Sheinbaum has aligned herself with Amlo’s policies, which focus on social development measures to alleviate poverty. Her opponent, Gálvez, has criticized these policies as mismanaged and unevenly distributed, promising to address issues such as extreme poverty and social spending disparities.

Away from the political arena, in rural communities like Ixhuatlán del Café, women are challenging traditional gender roles. At FemCafe, a women’s coffee cooperative, women are empowered to participate in all aspects of coffee production, challenging the structural inequalities prevalent in Mexican agriculture.

As the chants of “la primera!” echo through Sheinbaum’s rally, signaling the desire for a female president, the significance of this potential milestone is not lost. While other Latin American countries have had female presidents, Mexico’s journey towards gender equality remains complex, requiring concerted efforts to dismantle entrenched sexism and inequality.

In the face of these challenges, Sheinbaum and Gálvez continue their campaigns, each vying to make history and lead Mexico into a new era of governance.