Mexico

Work and Cultural Life

More than 92 percent of 6 – to 14-year-olds attend school, and 70 percent of Mexicans enroll in secondary school. As a result of economic crises and labor market conditions, many women decide to stay in school, choose a career, and work outside the home. As more women enter the labor market, including mothers with small children, tensions arise between women's familial responsibilities and work. Migration is an important economic strategy but puts stress on families and increases the risk of disintegration. Poor and rural families rely on the money sent home by Mexicans working in the United States.

A trend of lower marriage rates and a rise in consensual unions and divorce, along with migration, have resulted in women heading 21 percent of families. However, the divorce rate is still lower than in many Latin American countries due to strong social sanctions. Mexican family life is rooted in indigenous customs. In traditional indigenous families, women and men have equal power, but Spanish culture influences family structures and ideals. Cultural and religious norms support the power and supremacy of the father (machismo) and the love and sacrifice of the mother (marianismo). In rural communities, traditional family behavior prevails. For most Mexicans, motherhood is sacred and symbolized by the revered national icon, the Virgin of Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary).

Catholicism is central to Mexican society and culture, and reflects a mixture of Roman Catholic beliefs and Native American animism. During the 1960s, many Catholics shifted away from the moral [Page 760]and ethical teachings of the Church on marriage and family life.

Contraception and Health Care

Millions of Catholic couples use unauthorized birth control methods and many disagree with the Church's policies on divorce, remarriage, and abortion. In 2004, Church leaders criticized legalization of the “morning-after” emergency contraceptive pill.

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