Historically, the female segment in Mexico has faced epic battles in society to achieve, with great effort, just the basic rights that it should have. And when we talk about women, it would be enough to recognize their importance in number: almost 65 million inhabitants belong to this social group. That is, women in Mexico exceed the population of most countries in the American Continent, only the United States, Brazil and Mexico exceed this number of people in a single country.
In addition to this, its economic relevance is highly notable: 1 in 4 households in Mexico has a female figure as their main support and when we talk about large cities in the country it is even higher, as this number increases to 1 in 3 households.
It should be noted that women participate in 90% of the crucial decisions that take place inside homes, compared to only 35% of influence of men on the same issues. This implies that women outnumber household involvement in many ways and we are not just talking about domestic activities; also if we analyze contracted services, consumer products, cleaning supplies, personal care, brands, presentations, colors, designs, aromas. That is, the influence on practically the entire budget that is allocated to families.
However, even when their importance and influence in the country’s society has been recognized, clear evidence is presented showing that they are not a priority for many social initiatives, organizations, companies, social groups, political parties, but not for brands that support with clear and tangible actions: those that address your basic needs; and much less in those that grant security, affiliation, recognition and not to mention self-realization.
It is enough to review that during the COVID-19 Pandemic, women were the first to lose their jobs in companies that had to make cuts or simply reduce expenses in times of uncertainty. The decision was inclined to fire a woman, rather than a man, and it was also at the time of recovering the job.
The participation of women in the world of work regressed 10 years in 2020, after the arrival of the coronavirus and its crisis in the countries of Latin America, pointed out by CEPAL. The agency estimated that the unemployment rate for women reached 22.2% in 2020, this represents 12.6 percentage points more compared to 2019.
Women work mostly in the service sector, which has been strongly affected by the pandemic: lodging, food and beverage preparation, tourism and education. They are also on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19: in medical services and in domestic work, paid and unpaid.
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on people’s pockets who have faced contagion. AMIS data indicates that COVID treatments for men are 40% more expensive than for women. Men have required more hospitalization in intensive care, intubation and that is why a very large increase is seen. The vulnerability among men compared to women is evident because men present greater frequency and greater severity. However, women were the pillar that brought the households forward, both for the men and for the children who were also infected with the disease.
In such a way that the Mexican woman has become a character of steel, having to face inequality in many areas and obstacles that are renewed in different ways in the most complicated and negative situations.
Therefore, it is time to focus plans and budgets to take advantage of the great qualities of women in many areas. It is a key time to detonate feminine qualities and achieve different results as a society, just a few examples of values that, if properly appropriate, can positively transform results:
- Women are more persuasive leaders than their pears. According to Pulso de México® measurement in business studies, they score significantly higher than men in persuasive motivation, willingness to take risks, empathy, moments of urgency, flexibility, sociability and, especially, in assertiveness. These qualities allow women to read situations accurately and take information from all sides. For this reason, their capacity for persuasion stands out.
- Women form inclusive teams: they can listen to all opinions to reach the best possible decision. They are able to read situations accurately and take information from all sides, and then make the most informed decision of the team: keyword: listen to the best idea of all.
- Women learn better from adversity and they continue with an attitude of “facts and not words”. They have strong interpersonal skills that allow them to be more sociable and in the long term to be more resistant to moments of great complication or highly negativity. This combination of characteristics allows women to express a unique approach to dealing with disappointment, rejection or situations that are not resolved with the initial plans. Their great will allows them to demonstrate to themselves and to others “faith in the results”.
- Women take more risks. They are more likely to participate in risky decisions to come up with innovative solutions. They have the attitude of doing things that men dare not. They are less likely to hesitate and focus on important and highly visible details.
- In such a way that they are authentically entrepreneurs. They run the risk of making mistakes from time to time in order to achieve results. Their high sensitivity and fine reasoning allow them to learn from mistakes and move on.
Taking into account the above, it is time to make a deep analysis and strategic diagnosis with the female segment, in such a way that society, companies, governments, industries, brands and the entire population in general, take advantage of the growth of capabilities as complete as those that women have naturally.
