El derecho de guardería en México: reflejo y reproducción de la desigual división sexual del Trabajo

Abstract

This article examines, from a feminist perspective, the right to childcare established in the Mexican social security legislation. Our critique is that the way this right is conceived and designed, reproduces the sexual division of labour and gender stereotypes. Working class women are the only recipients of this right, while working men are excluded from this social benefit. This way, the legislation reproduces women's role as the only care givers of children. As a result, a double discrimination is in place: on the one hand, it excludes working class fathers from exerting their right to fatherhood; on the other hand, it reproduces family stereotypes where woman —even though she is a worker as the father is— should be the responsible for childcare work. We conclude then that the structure of this right to childcare in Mexico is a suspect right.