This chapter examines the existence of gender gaps in political behavior among the Mexican electorate. The findings reveal two significant gender gaps: one in electoral participation and another in ideological self-positioning, though these are inconsistent across elections and vary in direction. Women were more likely to vote than men in several presidential elections (2000, 2012, and 2018), but this trend was not observed in 2006 or 2024. The presence of female candidates did not consistently mobilize women, contradicting theoretical expectations. Notably, in the 2024 election, where both leading candidates were women, no gender gap in turnout emerged. Regarding ideological gaps, women were less likely to place themselves on the ideological scale in 2006 and 2012, but not in other elections. Women’s ideological preferences leaned rightward only in 2018, reflecting traditional patterns observed in other Latin American democracies, though this trend had dissipated by 2024. No significant gender gaps were found in voting decisions, including support for female candidates. These results suggest that although gender gaps in political behavior were once present, they have largely disappeared, culminating in the 2024 election, where male and female voters behaved similarly. This calls into question whether the election of Mexico’s first female president reflects a broader gender-based electoral mandate.

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Do Women “Mind the (Gender) Gap”? The Turnout, Ideology, and Voting of the Female Electorate in Mexico

  • Gerardo Maldonado

摘要

This chapter examines the existence of gender gaps in political behavior among the Mexican electorate. The findings reveal two significant gender gaps: one in electoral participation and another in ideological self-positioning, though these are inconsistent across elections and vary in direction. Women were more likely to vote than men in several presidential elections (2000, 2012, and 2018), but this trend was not observed in 2006 or 2024. The presence of female candidates did not consistently mobilize women, contradicting theoretical expectations. Notably, in the 2024 election, where both leading candidates were women, no gender gap in turnout emerged. Regarding ideological gaps, women were less likely to place themselves on the ideological scale in 2006 and 2012, but not in other elections. Women’s ideological preferences leaned rightward only in 2018, reflecting traditional patterns observed in other Latin American democracies, though this trend had dissipated by 2024. No significant gender gaps were found in voting decisions, including support for female candidates. These results suggest that although gender gaps in political behavior were once present, they have largely disappeared, culminating in the 2024 election, where male and female voters behaved similarly. This calls into question whether the election of Mexico’s first female president reflects a broader gender-based electoral mandate.