Mexico City Congress Urges Gender Perspective in Public Policies to Combat Inequality
Mexico City, May 17, 2026 – The Mexico City Congress saw the presentation of a significant initiative aimed at embedding a gender perspective into public policies. Deputy Juana María Juárez López emphasized that no public policy can be truly effective if it disregards the existing inequalities between women and men, advocating for the mandatory integration of gender perspective into all institutional actions and programs within Mexico City.
The MORENA legislator proposed reforms to Article 5 of the Planning System Law and Article 13 of the Law on Austerity, Transparency in Remunerations, Benefits, and Exercise of Resources. These legislative changes seek to narrow the gender gap and foster a more equitable society.
Consolidating a Normative Framework for Equality
Speaking from the Congress tribune last Thursday, Deputy Juárez López explained that her initiative aims to solidify a normative framework that guarantees conditions of equality and full participation for all individuals across the political, economic, social, and cultural spheres of Mexico City. This will be achieved through the mandatory inclusion of gender criteria in the planning, execution, and evaluation of all governmental programs.
“Every program, institutional action, or budgetary decision reflects a vision of the city and a way of understanding reality. Therefore, no public policy can be considered truly effective if it ignores the inequalities that millions of women experience every day,” she stated, highlighting the critical need for this legislative shift.
Addressing Structural Inequalities and Insufficient Responses
Juárez López acknowledged Mexico City’s progress in substantive equality and non-discrimination. However, she pointed out that the incorporation of a gender perspective often relies on isolated criteria or institutional goodwill. “This leads to disjointed actions, temporary efforts, and insufficient responses to structural problems that deepen inequalities between women and men,” she noted, underscoring the systemic nature of these challenges.
The deputy lamented that women continue to face numerous obstacles in security, mobility, health, education, employment, access to justice, and care, among other areas. Furthermore, women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid work and face conditions of economic vulnerability.
Mandatory Integration Across Public Administration
The proposed initiative mandates that all local public administration departments and entities integrate gender perspective criteria into the formulation of programs, projects, and public policies. “We want every social program, every action, and every public resource to contribute to preventing violence and guaranteeing substantive equality,” Juárez López emphasized, outlining the comprehensive scope of the reforms.
Deputy Juana María Juárez concluded by affirming that the proposal aligns with the actions promoted by both the Federal Government and the Government of Mexico City to consolidate a transversal gender approach across all public institutions. “Building a republic by and for women means ensuring that no woman is left behind,” she asserted, reinforcing the overarching goal of the initiative.
The initiative is expected to undergo further discussion and review within the Mexico City Congress, with proponents hoping for its swift approval to begin implementing these crucial changes for a more equitable society.
