The family
Mexicans are very attached to the family. They get together regularly and whenever the occasion arises: Mother's Day, birthdays, nephew's graduation, cousin's 15th birthday(Fiesta de los quince años)... There's a strong sense of belonging to the family circle, in the broadest sense, which includes aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews, and sometimes friends. Grandparents often live under the same roof as one of their children, and play an important role in their grandchildren's upbringing. As for independence, people stay with their parents for a long time (30-40 years, or even longer), for economic reasons or out of convenience. When we leave the family cocoon, it's often to embark on married life, as soon as we're married. This is obviously a traditional vision that does not apply to the entire population: some young people leave home very early to study in another city, others live as a couple without being married... Situations vary according to social background or place of residence. Nevertheless, in a country where social protection measures are derisory, family also means financial support and psychological comfort. It is therefore customary in everyday life to ask for news of one another, before engaging in any discussion with one's interlocutor.
Forget your watch!
Mexicans have a very particular relationship with time. You don't necessarily realize this when you're on a tourist trip, because operators know that it's important for their foreign customers to respect precise schedules (although...). But when you're here for a while, this relationship with time is one of the first cultural shocks you experience. Here, the concept of time is polychronic, that is to say, vague, flexible, less subject to an agenda. The hora mexicana makes it easier to adapt to change, which is essential for coping with the improvisation that often takes precedence over planning. So if you're late or have to cancel an appointment at the last minute, it doesn't matter. It's not a question of disrespect, so there's no need to apologize... Mañana ("tomorrow" in Spanish) or ahorita ("in a little while") rarely mean "tomorrow" or "in a moment" in the mind of the speaker. The present moment, enthusiasm and spontaneity are more important than the agenda. This temporal elasticity can generate a lot of uncertainty for a European or a North American. It's best to get used to it if you live in Mexico, to avoid stress surges and, above all, enjoy the present moment as Mexicans do so well!
A classist society
In Mexico, inequalities are glaring and social classes are identifiable by multiple codes: the way of dressing, of speaking, the place where one lives, where one studies, etc. But the most shocking thing is that social stratification is very much linked to skin colour or the ethnic group to which one belongs. The whiter one's skin and the more European one's features, the more likely one is to belong to a wealthy class. The more indigenous you are, the less likely you are to climb the social ladder. Mexico proudly displays its Mayan or Aztec origins, but the indigenous population often lives as in the colonial era, in a situation of great social vulnerability. Racial discrimination is normal for a part of the population, the same one that denigrates Afro-descendants and Central American migrants. The film Roma (2018), which won numerous international awards, subtly highlighted this classist issue by addressing the fate of domestic workers, the famous muchachas, who are subject to daily discrimination that is often invisible and inherited from the colonial era. Certain relationships of submission are also evident in expressions that are only heard in Mexico. For example, the popular ¿Mande? which is used to make people repeat themselves (equivalent to "How?") literally means "Give me an order", as the slave used to say to his master...
A estudiar!
Since the 1917 constitution, school education has been compulsory, free and secular. Schools run by religious organizations do not receive any public funding. The education system includes the following levels: kindergarten(preescolar), primary(educación inicial), middle school(educación básica), high school(educación media superior) and university(educación superior). The school year runs from September to June, with vacations around All Saints' Day, Christmas and Holy Week. Classes are held during the week, from 7:00 am to 8:00 am and from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. We go to school in uniform (well ironed!), but the student-teacher relationship is friendly, at least less formal than in France. Unfortunately, the level of education is among the lowest of the OECD countries, which explains why wealthy families send their children to private schools, with exorbitant monthly fees. The school enrolment rate has increased in recent years (95% for 5-14 year olds) and illiteracy has been halved in 20 years (4.7% of the Mexican population in 2020). Nevertheless, regional disparities are significant: 2% illiteracy in Mexico City, compared to 18% in Chiapas! In Chiapas, as in other states with large indigenous minorities, bilingual school programs have been set up, with varying degrees of success. As for higher education, the public universities have a good level of education, but there is a severe lack of places, and those who cannot afford to attend a private institution have to give up their studies.
A life without a net
In Mexico, 35-hour workweeks and 5 weeks' paid vacation are the stuff of dreams! Here, it's 48 hours a week, 6 days off a year (a little more with seniority). Even though the minimum wage increased significantly during the 2018-2024 term of outgoing president López Obrador, it doesn't reach €6... per day! There are no unemployment benefits in the event of job loss, apart from a small indemnity that must be paid by the company according to the time worked (not always easy to recover). Retirement pensions are low, and those who can afford it contribute to an additional pension fund. But for 60% of Mexicans working in the informal sector, the situation is even more precarious. However, a social medical program, Seguro Popular, has been set up to protect the most vulnerable members of the population. Public hospitals are staffed by competent but poorly paid medical personnel, and facilities are often dilapidated, with endless queues. Private clinics, on the other hand, offer quality care, but at very high prices, and are available to less than 10% of the population. Private healthcare in Mexico is a real business, and yet another indicator of the country's profound inequalities.
Gay marriage: a two-speed Mexico
Mexico City was the first city in Latin America to allow same-sex civil unions in 2007 and to legalize gay marriage in 2010. A media earthquake at the time! In recent years, more than half of the Mexican states have adapted their legislation to legalize same-sex marriage and grant people in civil unions the same rights as those who are married. Unfortunately discrimination, threats and physical violence against the LGBTI community are still prevalent. It is rare to see homosexual couples showing signs of affection in the street, except in certain areas of Mexico City, Guadalajara, Acapulco, or Cancún, or in the seaside resort of Puerto Vallarta, which has a reputation for being gay friendly.
A day without women!
Women are increasingly independent in Mexico. They don't hesitate to enter politics, for example, and for the first time a woman, Claudia Sheinbaum, was elected mayor of Mexico City in 2018. In 2024, she built on this success by winning the presidential elections with between 58% and 60% of the vote, becoming the first woman to head the country in Mexico's history. The gender gap has narrowed in education too, but women continue to occupy less-skilled positions and earn lower salaries for equivalent qualifications and jobs. Especially in the cities, conservative values concerning women's place in society are beginning to change. Just a few years ago, it was unthinkable for a woman to leave her parents' home and settle down in a couple without being married, or not to wish to have children. But machismo is still very much alive in Mexico. Domestic work remains largely the woman's responsibility, while the man represents the "head of the family" who must support the household financially. Some places, such as cantinas, are strictly reserved for men. Recently, however, some of these bars have also been opened to women. In Mexico, abortion is still considered a crime and is only authorized in cases of rape. Only Mexico City (since 2007) and the state of Oaxaca (since 2019) have legalized abortion, up to the 12th week of pregnancy. Elsewhere, many women resort to home remedies to have clandestine abortions, risking their lives in the process.
In addition, while Mexicans are generally gallant and considerate, violence against women is commonplace, due to an omnipresent macho and patriarchal culture. We're talking about conjugal, physical, emotional, sexual and economic violence. Above all, we're talking about feminicide: the murder of women simply for being women. Mexico holds records in this respect. The names of cities such as Ciudad Juárez, where hundreds of women have been raped, tortured and murdered since the 1990s, send shivers down the spine. Nationwide, in 2020, almost 10 women were murdered every day, a third of whom turned out to be feminicides. Most of the victims come from the most vulnerable sectors: migrant women, indigenous people, children and teenagers living in poverty... Faced with the state's lack of interest and impunity (50% of feminicides go unsolved, 99% in some states), women's groups regularly demonstrate to demand justice. In 2020, on March 9 (the day after International Women's Day), following a call from a group of feminist activists, large numbers of women deserted the streets, offices, transport, schools, cafés, shopping malls, etc., to protest against the machismo that kills. the response to #UNDÍASINNOSOTRAS (#UNJOURSANSNOUS) was impressive, regardless of social class, origin, religious or political orientation.
