Breathe
By Ana Bertha Gutiérrez
When a person is making the decision to look for or take a job, there are a number of additional factors that improve or worsen their opinion of the job: the flexibility it offers, the activities it involves, the hours it is carried out....
All this weighs, and frequently it is not just a matter of having any job that pays a salary, but one that can be adjusted to the context and the needs of each potential worker. The decision to participate - or not - in the paid economy depends, then, on the population's perception of the conditions and facilities offered in the labor market and in the jobs that exist in it.
This labor decision-making process shows differences that depend on the age of the individuals, their educational level, and even the entity in which they live. The most marked difference, however, is between men and women. In Mexico, 7.6 out of every 10 men of working age seek or have a job; among women of the same age, only 4.6 out of every 10 make the decision to participate in the economy.
The relatively low proportion of women attempting to enter the labor market could be explained by cultural issues, resulting in a reduced interest in economic activities, or the socioeconomic context in which they live. After all, Mexico is a country where, for every hour a man spends on housework and caregiving, a woman spends 2.5. Given that 72% of women over 15 years of age in the country have at least one son or daughter, it could be that their inclination to work is much lower than that of men .
This is not the case. The figures show that there are 4 million women in the country who do not participate in the economy, but have availability and, crucially, interest in doing so. Most of them (77%) do spend their time on household chores, but do not report a lack of interest in working. On the contrary, they would like to balance these obligations with other work activities. The problem is that they can't figure out how.
What explains this waste of talent in the country? What is it that discourages them? A starting point would seem to be flexibility in the offers. Flexibility that should go beyond remote work and schedules that allow balancing different activities, or even facilities for working mothers to have access to child care in or near the office. It is not discovering the black thread of labor policies, and the potential for flexibility is reduced in sectors such as construction or restaurants, but the idea of incorporating 4 million women into the economy -which would increase the female working population by around 17%- is not insignificant.
The country cannot afford to ignore this opportunity, particularly in an environment in which more and more companies are having difficulty filling the vacancies they need. An IMCO study in collaboration with Coparmex shows that, of the companies affiliated to that organization, 75% report that their main labor problem lies in the lack of personnel to fill different positions, as well as a high personnel turnover. Incorporating even a portion of women who are not economically active but interested in working becomes, therefore, a pressing issue in order to fill the positions that are needed.
The responsibility lies not only with the private sector. The public sector also has the power to build a social infrastructure that facilitates the insertion of women in the economy. The creation of a National Care System that promotes co-responsibility between women and men in caregiving activities and implements programs to attend to those who require care is important, as is maintaining (and increasing) the number of IMSS-affiliated daycare centers available.Doing what is necessary to ensure that women who want to work can do so not only has economic implications, but also social ones. In the end, it is about creating conditions for people to make work decisions more freely. The solution is not unattainable. If the pandemic has shown anything, it is that labor flexibility is possible, and adapting the market to the new needs of the population is something that can and must be achieved to attract people and women to the labor market. It is worth a try.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of Opinion 51.
More than 150 opinions from 100 columnists await you for less than one book per month.
Comments ()