Background on the Issue
The Mexican government has allocated a budget of 479,248 million pesos for the Anexo 13 Erogaciones para la Igualdad entre Hombres y Mujeres, aiming to reduce gender disparities. However, according to the Red por una Política Fiscal Feminista (Network for a Feminist Fiscal Policy), more than half of this budget, specifically 52%, is directed towards the Pensión para el Bienestar de las Personas Adultas Mayores (Pension for the Well-being of Adults). This program, which is one of the priorities since the previous administration, has shown little progress in achieving its gender equality objectives.
Concerns Raised by the Network for a Feminist Fiscal Policy
Angélica Nadurille Álvarez, a member of the Ciudad y Género (City and Gender) collective, highlighted that one of the major challenges for Anexo 13 is the insufficient integration of a gender perspective across all areas of the budget. Additionally, there have been issues with gender training, volatile resource allocation, and political priority dependence.
Analysis of Program Performance
The Red por una Política Fiscal Feminista developed a Simplified Index for Substantive Equality (ISAIS) to assess and rate the 104 programs within Anexo 13 regarding their alignment with gender equality objectives.
Alejandra Macías, the director of the Centro de Investigación Económica y Presupuestaria (CIEP), reported that the average score for Anexo 13 programs was 29%. This indicates a significant gap between the intended goals and actual performance.
“It is crucial to reassess the design, evaluation, and execution of public programs, advancing towards a genuine feminist fiscal policy that ensures justice and equity for all individuals,” the network emphasized.
Program Evaluation and Discrepancies
The analysis revealed that programs with larger budgets, such as the Pensión para el Bienestar, have lower alignment with gender equality objectives. For instance, the Pensión para el Bienestar de las Personas Adultas Mayores (Pension for the Well-being of Adults) receives almost half of Anexo 13’s total budget but only scores 23% on the ISAIS.
Conversely, the best-evaluated program, Programa de Apoyo a las Instancias de Mujeres en las Entidades Federativas (PAIMEF), scored 76% but represents less than 0.01% of the total budget.
The analysis also exposed significant institutional design deficiencies. Only one in four programs has been evaluated with a gender perspective, and fewer than 30% offer differential support for women. This lack of evaluation hinders the improvement of public policies and measuring their real impact.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the total budget allocated for gender equality? The Mexican government has approved 479,248 million pesos for the Anexo 13 Erogaciones para la Igualdad entre Hombres y Mujeres.
- How much of this budget goes to the Pensión para el Bienestar de las Personas Adultas Mayores? More than half, or 52%, of the budget is allocated to this pension program.
- What are the concerns raised by the Red por una Política Fiscal Feminista? The network highlighted insufficient gender perspective integration, lack of gender training, volatile resource allocation, and political priority dependence.
- What did the ISAIS analysis reveal about program performance? The average score for Anexo 13 programs was 29%, indicating a significant gap between intended goals and actual performance.
- Which programs performed well according to the ISAIS? The Programa de Apoyo a las Instancias de Mujeres en las Entidades Federativas (PAIMEF) scored 76% but represents a minuscule portion of the total budget.
- What are the institutional design deficiencies identified in the analysis? Only one in four programs has been evaluated with a gender perspective, and fewer than 30% offer differential support for women.
