How mothers have become the backbone of unpaid domestic work in Mexico
Written by Vianey Estrada
Photo by Ms. Phoenix / CC BY 2.0
“Sometimes I feel like they see me as the maid, that you have to do this because you’re the one who stays at home. I’m the one who feels like that, I see myself as the maid.”
Xochitl is a stay at home mum from Mexico City who has dedicated herself to domestic work during the past few years. She lives with her husband and child, and like many women in Mexico, has taken on the role of carrying out the unpaid domestic care and work in her home.
UN Women defines unpaid care and domestic work as the work that is done in the home by family members for the maintenance and wellbeing of the family without pay. Unpaid care work also includes voluntary community work. For many women, this work is a big part of their daily lives and is unevenly distributed.
The unequal distribution of domestic work
Women in Mexico contributed 72% of the domestic work, while men contributed 28% during 2022. This shows that the responsibility for domestic and care tasks primarily falls on women, who devote 63.4% of their total work time to such activities. There are many factors that contribute to this unfair distribution and societal expectations is one of them.
For Xochitl, the decision of becoming almost solely responsible for the domestic work is part of society’s expectations. “Most women have to take care of this. I grew up in a slightly more sexist society where it is believed that women have to do the laundry, women have to wash the dishes, women have to bathe the children. I’m not saying that everyone is like that, but they teach you that this is what you’ll do eventually.”
However, stay-at-home mum’s aren’t the only ones who take on this daunting task. There is also a sector of women who are working either in formal or informal jobs, in addition to doing unpaid care work. By the fourth quarter of 2022, 46 out of every 100 woman aged 15 and over in Mexico were economically active, and the percentage of the female population aged 15 and over that held informal jobs rose to 56.1%.
Brenda is a young single mother who works to sustain herself and her daughter. She schedules her work and activities based on her daughter’s needs and her job offers her some flexibility. “My boss is also a mother, so she leaves at the same time to go get her son during my lunch hour. They give me the option of leaving at 12 to go pick her up and I also use the time for us to have lunch together”.
Just like Xochitl, Brenda has noticed that unfortunately, a majority of the responsibility of domestic work and care falls almost entirely on women. “At work I see that my bosses are married but she’s the one who’s busy all day, she’s the one who goes to pick the child up, she feeds the family, she takes care of the chores. Her husband stays at the clinic and doesn’t help her, even if he has time to do it”.
This inequality isn’t new. Cecilia has three children that have all grown up and don’t require her care but she still recalls how housework was unfairly distributed. “The household distribution was done naturally because at the end of the day, I was the mother and if I didn’t do it, nobody else would. This is how we were educated, because we are girls, we are women, the obligation to take care of our children and husband was supposedly our responsibility. Culturally, men are only providers and do not take care of the house, or that’s what we’re taught.”
Unpaid care and domestic work have become a second job
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) conducted a study in 13 Latin American countries to determine how much time the population aged 20 to 59 dedicated to unpaid work in weekly hours. Mexico has the second highest number of women without their own income who dedicate the most time to unpaid work, with a total of 56.5 hours per week. Women in Mexico with their own income are in sixth place, with a total of 40.6 hours per week.
According to the Federal Labor Law, the work week in Mexico is 48 hours, spread over six days with one day off. Women with full-time jobs are working almost a full work week of domestic work in addition to the paid work they do, and women who dedicate themselves solely to domestic work are working more hours than a regular work week. Both women who are homemakers and women who work in informal jobs don’t have benefits such as health insurance, paid days off or maternity leave, leaving them vulnerable and unable to prioritise their own care.
In 2022, the economic value of unpaid care and domestic work in Mexico amounted to 7.2 trillion pesos (more than $400 million), which is equivalent to 24.3% of the national GDP. This means women contribute 2.6 times more economic value to their households than men, making them the backbone of the country’s economy. On average, women contributed the equivalent of 77,192 pesos ($4,300) to their households for the unpaid work they do, though they rarely see any remuneration for this.
For many women, the double labour shift is a reality in their lives. They dedicate the same amount of time or more to unpaid work as to their paid work. In cases where women have children, this results in a triple labour shift, adding to their daily responsibilities. The effects of these work schedules can have negative impacts on their lives, mental health and self-worth.
How unpaid domestic work impacts the mental health of women
A study that analysed the relationship between unpaid work and mental health in employed adults in various countries in Europe and North America found that unpaid work is associated with poorer mental health in women, but the effects are less evident in men. Since women dedicate a greater number of hours to unpaid work worldwide, the findings suggested that the continued inequalities in the division of unpaid work expose women to a greater risk of poor mental health compared to men.
For Xochitl, her personal life has been put on pause whilst she dedicates her time to her family, leading to many conflicted feelings. “Sometimes I feel angry because I’d like to tell my partner, ‘why can’t you do this?’ Or, ‘why don’t you help me with this on the days you rest?’ I’m also frustrated because I didn’t pursue my career. I mean, I didn’t study to do this, I studied to do something else.”
Cecilia took a different route when she realised she was unhappy with her situation and how the responsibility of unpaid domestic work changed her relationship with her spouse. “It affected us a lot, it affected the entire relationship because you do it, but over time you get tired and you say, well if I’m going to be doing everything, then I’d be better off alone and that way I don’t get angry with anyone or am unhappy. When I got divorced I felt better because I no longer had to ask myself why he doesn’t help, why he doesn’t support me, why I can’t count on him, so sometimes it’s the better option.”
Society has become complacent with the amount of work they expect women and mothers to do. Although many women are reaching out for support, we’re still not at a point where we’re prioritising their needs, which can have devastating impacts on their lives. However, there are things we can change to make their lives easier and improve their wellbeing.
How empowering women can make a change
Another study conducted in 2022 on paid domestic work and women’s empowerment in Mexico found that domestic work can have a positive impact on women’s lives, in this case married women, as long as they are compensated economically for this effort and their caregiving work is fully recognised. Their partners and family actively participated in creating this change, and didn’t leave the burden solely on them.
The social and cultural norms that have created this unfair distribution should be challenged in order to better the lives of women. One way to do so is by empowering women and mothers through the recognition of their unpaid labour. Workplace policies must be strengthened to allow both mothers and fathers to handle the care of their families. Finally, women should be compensated economically for the domestic and care work they do.
Although women have persevered thanks to their hard work, help from their inner circle and in some cases, governmental programs, the results can come at the expense of their mental health, dreams and personal lives. There needs to be a major shift in society’s perception of domestic work, and we need to ask ourselves why we believe that the burden should fall on women. The future of women’s wellbeing depends on the actions we take now, ensuring a future where they aren’t exploited for the benefit of others.
This story was produced as part of ‘How to write for impact’, a mentorship programme created by NADJA Media for members of Politics4Her, a feminist youth-led digital platform advocating for the inclusive participation of young women in leadership. To find out more email hello@nadja.co
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