The politics of gender and violence: A case study of a Mexican female senator and a law for victims of violence

Violence against Mexican women is not a new subject. Disappearances and murdered women in the border town of Cd. Juarez and throughout the country are reported in the news headlines every day. Between 1999 and 2005 more than 6,000 women and girls were murdered, an average of 1,000 murdered women every year. The majority of the deaths result from violence within their household (Mexico, 2009). The rate of violence is not isolated to border towns. The Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Geografía (National Institute of Statistics and Geography/INEGI) reports that 67% of Mexican women aged 15 years of age and older have been victims of violence. At the same time, the political representation of Mexican women has increased over the years. The rate of Mexican women who hold national political positions is 35%, higher than most of its neighboring countries (Women, 2013). This thesis will focus on the representation of women at the federal level. Even though political representation numbers are significant compared to other nation states, Mexico ranks high in the Gender Inequality Index measured by the United Nations, signifying that Mexican women hold a poor position in their society. The relationship between the high incidence of violence against women and the number of elected female politicians is contradictory. This thesis will look at the effectiveness of Mexican female politicians in creating policies against violence and aims to answer these questions: 1) To what extent do women politicians follow party lines and to what extent do women politicians have autonomous agendas? 2) To what extent do women politicians get to participate in policy making and what role do quotas play in female participation? 3) Are Mexican female politicians writing and advocating effective legislation against violence? 4) What are some of the challenges and barriers in passing legislation against violence? I approach these questions using quantitative and qualitative methods through two case studies, data analysis, and narrative reports. I frame these questions around representation and critical mass theory. The first case study analyzes whether female PRI Senator Diva Gastelum represents her constituents through descriptive or substantives representation. The second case study analyzes the Ley General de Victimas (General Law for Victims/LGV), a piece of victim's assistance legislation and the role of female politicians. This inquiry will help the reader understand whether a relationship between Mexican female politicians and policies created against violence exists.