Just last month, Mexico entered a remarkable new era. On Tuesday, October 1st, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo was sworn in as the President for a six-year term.
Sheinbaum’s election marks a historic moment, as NPR describes: she is the first female president in Mexico’s history. For over 200 years, Mexico has only had male leaders; today, the country continues to grapple with violence and oppression towards women. However, the inauguration of a woman president signifies the continuing movement towards equal rights and opportunities.
Sheinbaum is also the first president of Jewish heritage in Mexico. Jewish people comprise less than 1% of Mexico’s demographic, so Sheinbaum’s presidency is a double milestone in political representation.
She is the political protégé and chosen successor of Mexico’s former president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. She has continued to back him, but her persona is notably different; López Obrador is known for his charisma, whereas Sheinbaum’s strengths include her focus on data.
Sheinbaum’s background includes studying science at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and receiving a doctorate in environmental engineering. She researched energy consumption at the University of California and worked as a faculty member of engineering at her alma mater.
In 2000, she began serving as Secretary of the Environment for Mexico City, under López Obrador’s mayorship, and left the role in 2006 to work as the secretary of national patrimony for López Obrador’s gobierno legítimo (legitimate government). She helped coordinate the Oil Defense Movement against the privatization of Pemex and served on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
In 2018, Sheinbaum was elected mayor of Mexico City. She focused on confronting inequality in access and services, working to combat water challenges, and investing in public transportation. Her tenure included remarkable struggles, including gender-based violence, inflation, and the tragic collapse of Line 12 of the Mexico City metro. Throughout her career, Sheinbaum has faced criticism for her handling of local issues. However, she was also praised for her vaccination and physical distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Sheinbaum is the successful Sigamos Haciendo Historia candidate for President.
Though her inauguration has been widely celebrated, Sheinbaum inherits several contentious issues. According to the Carnegie Endowment, violence, including cartel violence, is the biggest concern facing the country, and is rooted in factors including inequality, poverty, and corruption. Voters also wonder whether Sheinbaum will continue the removal of checks and balances that López Obrador performed in office, and how she will handle issues of foreign policy and global collaborations.
“There have been some really effective women leaders,” shares Mr. Filippone, an AP U.S. Government teacher. “She’s kind of following in their footsteps. Hopefully, [we’ll] see a difference in Mexico… maybe throughout the world, it’ll open some doors for women.”
Mr. Filippone encourages students to learn about political developments like these, including those outside of the United States. “We’re a global society,” he states, explaining that “we do need to know what’s going on in the international world… We kind of tend to think more about our [country]”. However, it helps us “to see that these other countries which take women as president or prime minister are doing well, and [that] they’re effective leaders. Maybe we will see more women in leadership positions [which] breaks barriers.”
