Mexico is quite far from being a model of gender equality. It ranked a rather dismal 93rd out of 128 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report of 2007. Domestic violence is rife; in fact, over 70 per cent of all Mexican women say they have suffered some form of abuse. Some 91 per cent of all ministerial positions in government belong to men. Abortion is illegal in most parts of the country.
Fortunately, Martha Lucía Micher Camarena is fighting to change this – no easy task in a culture that perceives male and female gender roles as being quite distinct, where the Catholic Church has much authority and influence over issues such as divorce and abortion, and where a powerful oligarchy fights to maintain its position.
