Indigenous Women Politicians Defy Odds – and Tradition


The Mexican Constitution began in 2016 to require all municipalities in the country to elect or nominate at least one woman for local office. But, in Zapotec Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, where "customary law" held sway, male-dominated tradition marginalized or excluded female officeholders. Espiral por la Vida (Spiral for Life) stepped in to train women in the art of politics and governing. While the culture didn't change overnight, all Oaxaca municipalities had complied with the law, female officeholders felt better prepared, and some men had turned more accepting.

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