Early Childhood Care in Mexico: A Challenge for Gender Equality

This paper seeks to reflect on the early childhood care policies in Mexico. It is based on analysis of the National Strategy for Early Childhood Care (ENAPI, 2020) by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government, within the framework of the establishment of the compulsory Initial Education for Mexican Childhood. Methodologically, Mueller & Surel's (1998) dimensions for public policies analysis are considered: a) Decision making, b) Rules and c) interactions. Childhood rights conception, its care and the implications it has on gender inequality are expressed on those policies. Among the findings was found National of Early Childhood Attention Strategy in Mexico is characterized by its heterogeneity and fragmentation, in addition it has a familiarity bias, without recognizing that child care on the early years has become an inequality factor, strongly linked to power relations and gender with this a conservative vision subsists which places children's care to the scope of the private life reproducing gender stereotypes that end up affecting equity in a contradictory way by reaffirming responsibility quasi natural and primordial of women in child care, thereby limiting their economic autonomy.