Breathe
By Laura Carrera
Recently, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) published its annual report 2023, in which it highlights that Mexico is one of the countries where workers dedicate the most hours to work. However, despite these long working hours, productivity in Mexico is one of the lowest in Latin America.
This labor paradox highlights a possible mismatch between working time and efficiency in production processes, and this suggests the need to review labor management strategies and investment in training and technology.
Furthermore, it is striking that in Mexico it is young women, between the ages of 15 and 29, who work the most hours. Of the 77 hours a week they work on average, 34 of them, or 44%, are unpaid. This data leads us to reflect on the distribution of domestic and care responsibilities, and how these tasks, mostly assumed by women, are invisible work that sustains the economy, but is not recognized or valued economically.
So, what do young Mexican working women spend those 34 hours on?
Predominantly in housework, caring for family members and other unpaid tasks. This phenomenon reflects a gender gap that still persists in our society and is reinforced by deeply entrenched cultural structures. The implications of this disproportionate burden are vast, including limitations on young women's professional, educational and personal development, as well as putting their mental and emotional health at risk.
On the other hand, work-related stress in Mexico not only reaches alarming figures, positioning the country as a world leader in this category, but is also reflected in other equally worrying social indicators. Mexico ranks first in bullying and child abuse, in addition to being among the first places in crime and violence against women, and in human trafficking, with a regrettable twentieth place among 167 countries.
These issues of violence and safety are a critical concern affecting the population as a whole, with a particularly severe impact on women of all ages.
In the face of these realities, the management of emotions is often overlooked. Our emotions, although sometimes ignored, are an integral part of our human experience. Stress is both an emotion, and a state of being, that is derived from other emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, rage and aggression. It is also deeply influenced by the pervasive sense of living in an environment of violence that many Mexicans experience on a daily basis.
For example, the recent activities of the search mothers in the state of Sonora, who discovered a vast clandestine grave with more than 56 bodies in El Choyudo, municipality of Hermosillo, have shaken the community, not only in the capital but throughout the state and even the country. These discoveries, along with a series of homicides in several municipalities in the state, including the death of a young doctor in his home and multiple murders in a Hermosillo bar, leave an indelible mark.
These events, while they may seem distant, alter the emotional fabric of the community and can generate an atmosphere of fear, anxiety and sadness that profoundly affects the mental and emotional health of residents of all ages.
Although they do not want to see it, emotionally, the community faces these facts with a mixture of resignation and normalization, which has profound repercussions on the collective mood, particularly in girls and boys.
Scientific research confirms that traumatic events such as these have the potential to significantly alter people's emotions and generate an atmosphere charged with restlessness, anguish, uneasiness, anxiety, nervousness, tension, etc., even if superficially they appear to be normalized.
These emotional states not only affect people's mental and emotional health, but can also increase sensitivity and irritability, contributing to a cycle of aggression that, although not always visible, is latent in society.
And, distrust of the authorities exacerbates the situation. The perception of corruption or lack of political will to address these challenges, as well as doubt about the ability of government structures to ensure security, only serves to increase stress and anxiety.
And of course, this tense environment leads, in the long run, or in the short run, to addictive behaviors, including alcohol and drug consumption, as well as to an increase in diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, stomach and intestinal problems, and also cardiovascular ailments.
The interconnection between these social challenges and the resulting emotions is undeniable. Therefore, attention to the emotional and mental health of the population is critical at this time and this is a topic that has unfortunately received little attention.
An approach to manage this situation could begin in the family nucleus and extend to the community, fostering an open dialogue about emotions and establishing support networks. In addition, it is important to promote coping strategies such as emotional resilience and emotional intelligence in order to mitigate the effects of such a stressful and violent environment.
Laura Carrera. Social Anthropologist and PhD in Sociolinguistics, specializing in Discourse Analysis from the University of Nanterre, Paris. She has a postgraduate degree in Neuroscience and a postgraduate degree in Emotional Education for Wellbeing from the University of Barcelona.
Founder and first Head of the National Center for Crime Prevention and Citizen Participation of the National Public Security System and first Commissioner of the National Commission for the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women of the Ministry of the Interior. During this period she created and promoted the Model of Justice Centers for Women. She was also Coordinator of the Police Development System of the Federal Police of Mexico.
She is the creator and host of the Podcast "Despertar Emocional" and she is the General Director of Estrategias Neuroeducativas, S.C.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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