By Services to Youth AC (SERAJ)

Ecatepec de Morelos is one of the most populated municipalities in the State of Mexico with a population of 1,645,352, of which 51.51% are women (846,803) and 48.51% are men (798,549). Of the total population, 24.21% are young people, 132,413 between the ages of 15 and 29, 135,371 between the ages of 20 and 24, and 131,204 between the ages of 25 and 29,1 representing an opportunity to promote initiatives that guarantee the exercise of human rights for young people in this municipality.

In Ecatepec, young people face significant challenges in accessing job opportunities, which is compounded by an inadequate care system.

According to the latest report by Citizen Action Against Poverty (2024), 2.4 million young people in the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico (the area to which Ecatepec belongs) have not been able to access decent employment, and, within this same report, the imposition of care work at home is highlighted as one of the main causes of this.

The care system in the State of Mexico has significant shortcomings. Based on data from the Secretariat of Women of the State of Mexico (2023), the lack of coverage, accessibility, and affordability of care services for priority populations, such as children, older adults, and people with disabilities, is highlighted.

These shortcomings particularly affect young women, as there is a strong cultural influence that reinforces gender roles from different spheres, for example, the family, where women are assigned primary caregiving duties for their children, nephews, nieces, younger siblings, sick relatives, older adults, etc. Caregiving duties become one of the main barriers to advancing their personal goals, in addition to the impact that some of these tasks have on their emotional health. This diminishes their access to opportunities to seek work, continue their studies, or pursue any other activity, which increases the wage gap and perpetuates gender inequalities.

Regarding this, in 2024, the state government drafted a reform proposal to recognize care as a fundamental human right, seeking to allocate resources to ensure the structural conditions for its exercise.

Based on the work carried out in Ecatepec, at Servicios a la Juventud AC (SERAJ), we propose a series of alternatives to address these problems:

1. Promoting employment for young people: Develop and implement programs to promote the employability of young people by strengthening the technical and social skills that are in high demand in the labor market, facilitating their integration into decent, well-paid jobs.

2. Strengthening the care systemEstablish a comprehensive care system that guarantees accessible, quality services for priority populations. This includes the creation of childcare centers and senior care centers, while also generating better working conditions for caregivers.

3. Public policies with a gender perspectiveImplement gender-sensitive actions that recognize the barriers young women face and reduce their unpaid workload, seeking to equitably distribute caregiving responsibilities, thereby enabling their participation in the labor market.

4. Participation of youth in spaces with decision-makerss: Involving young people in the formulation of public policies allows their needs and interests to be considered in the planning and execution of social projects.

Addressing these barriers requires a comprehensive and participatory approach that includes young people to ensure decent living conditions for the youth living in Ecatepec.

We invite you to learn more about our work at: www.seraj.org.mx

Reference

1/ Data Mexico, Municipality of Ecatepec de Morelos, State of Mexico https://www.economia.gob.mx/datamexico/es/profile/geo/ecatepec-de-morelos#population-and-housing