Mexico is a highly masculine society, having a masculinity score of 69, according to Hofstede Insights (2018, para 7). Hofstede Insights (2018) tells us that “in Masculine countries, people ‘live in order to work’, managers are expected to be decisive and assertive, the emphasis is on equity, competition and performance and conflicts are resolved by fighting them out” (para 9). In Latin America, according to Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2014), machismo is a dominant attitude. “The macho is aggressive and sometimes insensitive; machismo represents power” (p. 358). This attitude informs another traditional attitude, femaleness, wherein women were “‘put up on a pedestal’ to be carefully protected by the male who was in charge” (p. 358). While masculinity and maleness have dominated the culture of Mexico, women play a central and growing role in leading the country.
Street organizations represent Mexico’s informal economy, which is a critical but unspoken part of the Mexican economy, and provide stability, services, and representation that Mexico’s formal systems can’t deliver (De Jong & Graff, 2016, para 3). The largest street organization, Association Légitima Cívica Comercial (ALCC), which services Mexico City’s city center, represents over 6,000 members and has expanded into housing development. Alejandra Barrios is the founder and leader of this organization. (para 9) A recent article in Citylab notes that according to Barrios, “that of the approximately 100 [street vendor] organizations in the city’s central areas, 80 percent are led by women” (para. 2).
The origins of the ALCC are fascinating. The informal markets were frequently raided by police and government inspectors. Merchandise and equipment would be confiscated and fights would break out between the vendors and the police (Gonzales, 2016, p. 300). Barrios said:
The anger that would bring to me the memory of seeing my parents being arrested made me think that that [being arrested] would not happen to me, but it did happen. Then, my courage, my bravery, my temperament made me a leader in the eyes of the others because I would stand up to the authorities and quarrel and fight with the police when they committed abuses. It was then that people started to recognize my leadership, because I would go and defend them (Gonazalez, 2016, p. 300).
She said that it was these experiences that led her to form the ALCC. She went from market to market, stall to stall, and recruited her first 40 members. In 1980 the ALCC was born (Gonzales, 2016, p. 300). To counter violence in a highly masculine society, a woman led the change. This isn’t a unique case, remember, there are over 100 ALCC-like organizations and over 80 of them are led by women.
Catalyst (2017) in their Women in the Workforce report on Mexico, notes some interesting statistics:
- Women currently represented 28.3% of the workforce 2016, this will grow to 37.9% by 2020
- Women are more likely to participate in the informal economy, working as street vendors
- Women in Mexico are outpacing OECD nations in pursuing STEM degrees
- Women hold only one-quarter of senior leadership roles in private companies
- Women in Mexico are more likely to work in a global firm, compared to men who are more likely to work for non-global firms
- Quotas have changed the political landscape, over a third of all legislative seats are held by women, one of the highest in the world
Women have taken control of the informal economy. They are building community, improving lives of others, and providing services that the government can’t. Women are now entering the formal economy and are growing part of the workforce, at a rapid pace. It’s hard not to think that women will gain power in the formal economy, as well.
As women are more likely to work with global firms, global leaders should be mindful of their ability to empower women and help them promote equality. Global leaders should also be aware of their biases and preconceptions about Mexico’s machismo culture and work past them. Further, global firms should be making plans to promote women in leadership in Mexican operations, developing leadership skills in high performing female employees. Women are on the rise in Mexico and, as we have seen here in the United States and elsewhere in the world, the culture will change as they gain power. Global firms that embrace this early will earn dividends in the end.
References
Catalyst, Inc.. (2017, October 27). Women in the workforce: Mexico. Catalyst. Retrieved from: http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-workforce-mexico
De Jong, F. & Graff, G. (2016, September 15). The women who rule Mexico City. CityLab. Retrieved from: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2016/09/the-women-who-rule-mexico-city/498995/
Gonzalez, J. A. (2016). The politics and institutions of informality and street vending in Mexico: The case of Mexico City (Doctoral Thesis). The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom. Retrieved from: http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3387/1/Gonzalez_The_Politics_and_Institutions.pdf
Hofstede Insights. (2018). Mexico. Country Comparison. Retrieved from: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/mexico/
Hungry Cities Partnership. (2018). No title. [digital image] Retrieved from: http://hungrycities.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CentralMexico_AerialView.jpg
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences (9th ed). New York, NY: Routledge.
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