Vol. 21 No. 44 (2026)

Artículos

Education and Motherhood in Gender Equality within Mexican Households

Published 2026-06-12

  • Ana Cecilia Parada Rojas
    • ,
  • Jorge Omar Razo De Anda

Ana Cecilia Parada Rojas
Escuela Superior de Economía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional.

Jorge Omar Razo De Anda
Escuela Superior de Economía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional.

Abstract

Gender equality in income requires analyzing household dynamics (private space), as they influence women's participation rates and professional development (public space). To demonstrate that motherhood and educational attainment are key determinants of gender income equality, a multifactorial analysis of variance is conducted. First, the persistent income inequality in the public sphere is revealed, regardless of educational level. The results provide statistical evidence of a motherhood penalty on women's economic independence. On the one hand, economic equality within the household can be achieved if there are no children and women work with advantageous education. However, when children are born, men contribute more income and women less, or they stop working altogether. As children grow, this dependence decreases, but they do not regain the income level of those without children. This situation affects the average income in the labor market.

Keywords

Gender Equity, Income Inequality, Child penalty, Education Premium

PDF (Spanish)

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