She is being called the Hillary Rodham Clinton of Mexico. But her husband, the governor of the central Mexico state of Tlaxcala, prefers another formula. As such, she represents both the growing role of women in Mexican politics, and the crucial part women will play in deciding the outcome of presidential and congressional elections this July in Mexico. They know firsthand how a macho society works, she says, and feel buoyed by a woman stepping out of her husband's shadow. Four of his state department heads are women, as is his chief of staff.
Women have a central role in changing that.
School desertion is also high, for example, as children leave to help support the family. By building their earning power, mothers can make dropping out less necessary. According to Mexico's presidential campaign organizations, women, along with young people aged 18 to 25, are the swing voters of the 2000 election. Esteban Moctezuma, general director of the presidential campaign of PRI candidate Francisco Labastida Ochoa, says more voters than ever have already decided whom to vote for - except women. Labastida's camp says a TV ad promising English and computer education for all children, plus universal prenatal care, aims largely at women.