In the country, feminism is articulated with various social demands: academic

Jessica Xantomila, Laura Poy and Carolina Gomez

Newspaper La Jornada
Saturday March 5, 2022, p. 13

Feminism has always been an uncomfortable movement, with a bad reputation because criticizes and points out that what we consider natural and normal, in the case of gender inequality is not. However, more and more women consider themselves feminists since a mobilization has been generated very intense and unprecedented in Mexico, driven above all by violence and impunity; In addition, its incidence on the political agenda is greater, researchers and NGOs agreed.

On the eve of International Women’s Day, March 8, Amneris Chaparro Martínez, from the UNAM Center for Gender Research and Studies (CIEG), mentioned that since the formal birth of feminism in the 18th century, its members have been considered “people non grata”; for example, the suffragettes, who fought for the right to vote and they were accused not only of not being women, but of being terrorists, ugly or unhygienic.

Although stigmas persist, the academic states that the impact of this movement in universities and the media has helped the discourse begin to change. We are realizing that being a feminist is many things; It is not necessarily to hate men, oppose forms of family or motherhood, but it has many connotations and there are many ways to be. It also highlights the presence of women of different ages and social classes in the marches, which is giving a new meaning to the term.

Lucía Núñez Rebolledo, also from the CIEG, agreed that feminism is a political movement that is gaining more and more strength, which, among other things, is due to Internet access. It has helped a lot for dissemination and internationalization strategies and the political context of the country, because there is more female intervention in institutions.

Both researchers warned that Mexico is experiencing a unique moment due to the massive calls for the mobilization of women, since 2015, in particular, on dates such as March 8 and November 25 (the latter, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against the woman); also, for the spontaneous protests “when we have many cases of violence and impunity.

“In this country we had not seen massive feminism; the type of courage, appropriation, resignification of the streets, virtual spaces… That gives a very particular tone to this moment, which is also articulated with a demand for social, economic and equality justice. In other words, women continue to be the most precarious sectors affected by a specific type of violence”, highlights Chaparro Martínez.

This boom, however, has not prevented the movement’s internal debates from intensifying. They are more alive now discussions on issues related to prostitution and surrogate motherhood, whether they should be allowed and even on the recognition of the identity of transgender women.

For Alma Colín, from the civil association Gender Equity, Citizenship, Work and Family, these discussions, which have often been harsh, do not mean that the movement is fractured, nor does it weaken it. There may be different positions, but we have to be open to dialogue and recognize that the debates take place in depth and with arguments, he maintains.