The Gender Gap in Mexico’s Labor Force
In Mexico, gender inequality is not just a social issue; it’s also an economic challenge. According to the National Employment and Occupation Survey (ENOE) from August 2025, out of the 61.1 million economically active individuals, only 25 million are women compared to 36 million men. This gap is largely due to the unequal distribution of care work.
The National Time Use Survey (ENUT) 2024 reveals that women dedicate 64.8% of their total time to unpaid work, including caregiving tasks, while men primarily focus on remunerated activities. This reality restricts millions of women from accessing formal jobs, full-time work, and stable career paths, acting as a silent barrier to the country’s productive potential.
The Significance of the Economy-IMSS Collaboration Agreement
The signing of the agreement between the Secretariat of Economy and the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) on January 21, 2026, signifies more than an inter-institutional cooperation agreement. It represents a policy decision acknowledging that gender equality and care are structural conditions for growth, competitiveness, and shared prosperity.
Under the leadership of Secretary Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, the dependency has prioritized care, equality, and labor well-being as strategic axes for the country’s productive development. Recognizing that these factors not only impact social justice but also productivity, competitiveness, and investment attraction.
The Care Infrastructure Deficit in Mexico
According to the National Survey for the Care System (ENASIC) 2022, Mexico has 58.3 million people who could benefit from home care, with 75.1% of those providing these tasks being women. This isn’t about a lack of talent but rather the historical absence of infrastructure allowing for work-family responsibility balance.
The result is lower female labor participation, higher turnover, absenteeism, and productivity loss for companies. In this context, the agreement with IMSS, involving Mtro. Zoé Robledo Aburto, General Director of IMSS, takes on strategic importance.
The CECI Initiative: A Strategic Approach
The agreement lays the groundwork for promoting the establishment of Education and Child Care Centers (CECI) in companies, industrial parks, and Economic Development Poles for Well-being, integrating care into the country’s productive ecosystem.
This initiative aligns with President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s goal of building 1,000 CECI during the current administration—an unprecedented bet on consolidating a National and Progressive Care System.
Unlike charity, this vision recognizes that care is as economically relevant as energy, transportation, or connectivity infrastructure.
Benefits of CECI Implementation
- Reduced Absenteeism: Proximity to childcare services at workplaces decreases absenteeism.
- Lower Turnover: Decreases in employee turnover rates.
- Enhanced Talent Performance: Strengthens employee retention and performance.
- Improved Work-Life Balance: Offers peace of mind, savings, and better conditions for balancing work and personal life for employees.
- Stable Labor Force: Provides companies with a more stable workforce, improved organizational climate, and a genuine competitive advantage.
Moreover, the CECI in Company model is economically viable. IMSS technical analyses show that these centers can be self-sustaining, with an approximate five-year return on investment when operating at full capacity. Additionally, the Mexico Plan’s tax incentives allow companies to deduct these investments as fixed assets, significantly reducing their real cost.
The Need for Clear and Modern Regulation
To establish care infrastructure on a large scale, incentives alone are insufficient; clear, modern, and productive development-aligned regulation is necessary.
Care regulation is essential to generate certainty, establish minimum quality, safety, and operational standards, and integrate these services into the structural fabric of Mexico’s work environments.
The Secretariat of Economy is updating the Mexican Norm NMX-046 for Industrial Parks, transitioning towards a Standard that will enable the ordered and homogeneous promotion of care infrastructure in industrial parks, including CECI, dining facilities, laundries, care transportation schemes, and other services that facilitate the daily lives of working individuals.
Integrating care into industrial planning is not a social concession; it’s an economically smart decision. A nation aiming to attract investment, strengthen production chains, and generate quality jobs must ensure that those who work can do so under genuine well-being conditions.
Caring is also producing.
