Día de la Mujer

by José Luis Mendoza Aubert

International Women's Day, this past March 8, started me thinking (not for the first time) about all that women have been through. Theirs has been an arduous journey. Countless women have lived, fought, and suffered throughout history to get to where they are. And I wonder: How much has been in vain? What have their achievements been to date? Is it enough? How much more is there to win?

I took on the task of doing a little research, in the little free time that my many occupations allow me. I put together this essay with the results of my research and my own conclusions. Of course, in writing the following text, I don't pretend to know everything, nor to have the magic key to see the past, present or future.

Women Throughout History: The Achieved and The Missing

The history of women is not just a fairy tale waiting to be rescued. It's an epic story of queens, scientists, rebels, and fighters who have changed the world! But, although we've come a long way, there are still battles to be fought.

I'm going to review some of the good, the bad, and what possibly lies ahead.

Wu Zetian

Ancient Ages: They Already Broke the Rules

Imagine this: in a world where being a woman almost always meant staying home and keeping a low profile, some decided to become very uncomfortable exceptions to the system of their time. Here are three of countless examples throughout history.

Cleopatra: She wasn't just Julius Caesar's lover. She was a brilliant political strategist who ruled Egypt during times of great crisis.

Wu Zetian: The only female empress of China. Yes, in dynasties full of men, she crowned herself and ruled for decades.

Hypatia of Alexandria: She was a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher in an era when women couldn't even study. There were always women who didn't conform.

Susan B Anthony

The 19th and 20th Centuries: When Feminism Turned the World Upside Down

This is when things really started to change:

Women's suffrage: Thanks to suffragettes and activists like Susan B. Anthony (USA) and Emmeline Pankhurst (UK), who stood up to sexist governments. Some were even imprisoned!

* Science was also no longer just for men: Marie Curie not only won one Nobel Prize… she won two! And at a time when universities closed their doors to women.

* Control over their bodies: The birth control pill in the 1960s and the right to divorce gave women something radical: choice.

Here I list Mexican women who fought hard against a repressive and authoritarian system ruled by men. Mexican women who fought for equality, a dignified place in society, and women's suffrage in our country.

Mexico has a history full of brave women who challenged norms, fought for their rights, and paved the way for future generations. Here are some of the most notable:

Hermila Galindo

The First Rebels: The Mexican Suffragettes

Hermila Galindo (1886–1954) "Mexico's first feminist." She was Venustiano Carranza's secretary and one of the first to demand women's suffrage. In 1916, during the Feminist Congress in Yucatán, she proposed political rights for women, sexual education, and divorce. This was scandalous at the time! Although she didn't achieve women's suffrage in her time, her struggle inspired many.

Elvia Carrillo Puerto (1878–1968) "The Red Nun of Mayab" (as she was known for her socialist struggle). The sister of Governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto, she succeeded in making Yucatán the first state to allow women to vote in 1923 (although unfortunately it was later revoked). She founded feminist leagues to educate women and defend their rights.

Refugio García (1898–1970) Teacher and activist who fought for women's suffrage since the 1920s.
She participated in the United Front for Women's Rights, which pressured the government to recognize women's political rights.

Aurora Jiménez de Palacios

Those Who Achieved It: Women's Vote in 1953

After decades of struggle, on October 17, 1953, President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines enacted women's right to vote. But this wouldn't have happened without:

Aurora Jiménez de Palacios (1906–1958) In 1954, she became the first elected federal representative in Mexico. Although voting had already been approved, her election set a historic precedent.

Griselda Álvarez (1913–2009) The first female governor in Mexico (Colima, 1979). She demonstrated that women could not only vote, but also govern.

Rosario Castellanos

Modern Feminists: Struggles for Equality

The vote was just the beginning. In the 20th and 21st centuries, other Mexican women continued the battle:

Rosario Castellanos (1925–1974) was a writer and poet who denounced machismo in works such as "Mujer que sabe latín" (Woman Who Knows Latin). "El eterno femenino" (The Eternal Feminine) is a feminist classic.

Marta Lamas (1947–) was an anthropologist and founder of "Debate Feminista" (Feminist Debate). She fought for reproductive rights and the decriminalization of abortion.

Las mujeres del 68

The Women of '68

In the student movement, many women, like Ana Ignacia Rodríguez "La Nacha," fought for democracy… but were later erased from history.

Ni Una Menos

Currently: #NiUnaMenos… and more…

Collectives like "Las Brujas del Mar" (The Sea Witches) in the state of Veracruz promoted the national women's strike in 2020. Anthropologist Marcela Lagarde popularized the term "feminicide" to make the murders of women visible.

* In power: Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand) and Sanna Marin (Finland) demonstrated that a woman can handle a crisis better than many men, and without a tie.

* In politics: Mexican Claudia Sheimbaum, Mexico's first female president, holds a doctorate in environmental engineering, a master's degree in energy engineering, and a bachelor's degree in physics.

* In science and technology: Many women participated in the success of the Apollo 11 mission, including Margaret Hamilton, who developed the flight software for navigation and landing on the Moon. Equally valuable: Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician who performed key calculations for landing on the Moon. She was one of the first Black women to work at NASA. Jo Ann Morgan, Judy Sullivan, and Mareta West, the latter an astrogeologist who chose the Apollo 11 landing site and also helped select the landing sites for subsequent Apollo missions.

* Although they remain a minority in engineering, more and more women are leading in Silicon Valley and NASA.

* In culture: #MeToo exposed the rottenness of harassment, and artists like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are using their voices to demand equality.

Las Brujas del Mar

What's next?

I hope global laws against gender violence are soon passed, because "#NiUnaMenos is not just a hashtag."

Although it's not all celebration; there are still things that hurt many of us deeply:

* Gender-based violence: one in three women suffers abuse in her lifetime. And no, it's not "something that just happens". It's a "real" global problem.

* Wage gap: In 2024? Yes, for the same work, women earn less. And no, it's not because they "make bad" career choices.

* Glass ceiling: In large companies, top positions remain a club of men. Only 8% of CEOs are women.

* Rights in danger: In the US, the right to abortion has been taken away, and in many countries there isn't even sex education.

* Stereotypes: In many countries, even now, in the middle of 2025, there are degrading, sexist, and subjugating stereotypes, often disguised as mockery, but with very strong and discriminatory content. I think we should start with education from an early age and support all of us who are aware of this situation, to eradicate them and achieve true and fair equality.

Much has been achieved, but true equality does not yet exist. And as Simone de Beauvoir said: "Do not forget that any crisis can roll back women's rights."

I think, "Not one step back"

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José Luis Mendoza Aubert: actor, director and theater technician; teacher and writer of Theater and Plastic Arts; founder and director of the Comedia del Universo theater company and school, operating in San Miguel for the last 20 years; musicologist and cinephile, judge of the En Corto Film Festival now GIFF for 8 years; Director of Art and Culture of the Public Library for 15 years; member of the board of directors of El Sindicato Centro Cultural Comunitario.

José Luis gives talks and workshops on environmental awareness in schools and communities. He is a founding member of the Allende la Cultura Collective. He plays Veracruz music and writes poetry and is a founding member of the music group Jarocha "Soledad".

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