From data to action: How Claudia Navarro is fighting for better living conditions in Mexico City

10,000 women and one platform are revolutionising the care system in Mexico City.
Bushaltestelle, San José, Costa Rica; Foto: Florian Kopp

Finding a job as a woman in Mexico city? Possible with a bit of luck. Finding a kindergarten place so that the little ones are looked after in the meantime? Not quite so easy, but also possible. But: Finding a job as a mum and a nursery place on the way? Practically impossible. Claudia Navarro is familiar with this problem, which is shared by many women: They live on the outskirts of Mexico City and must travel several hours on public transport to take their children to daycare and get to work themselves. This leaves little time for work – and correspondingly little money at the end of the month, if the effort is worth it at all. Claudia is therefore fighting against the discrimination of women in Mexico, where many of them suffer from unpaid childcare work and unequal economic opportunities.

Together with Piso Igual, the government of Mexico City and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (SEMUJERES), the BMZ Initiative Data2Policy has set up a platform to collect data on the availability of childcare facilities, transport accessibility and economic opportunities. Claudia’s contribution and the voices of another 10,000 women became an integral part of a comprehensive data set that provides policy makers with recommendations on how to make policies more gender equitable. Thanks to the pilot project, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has strengthened the set-up of the first care system in Mexico City.

In April the recommendations of actions were presented in the Inter-institutional Commission of the Mexico City Care for Well-being System. The Commission will in the following sessions decide which and the timeline of implementation of such recommendations will take place. This platform paves the way to a more inclusive and equitable Mexico City, where decisions are based on reliable data and people’s experiences.

  1. Claudia Navarro’s voice and that of 10,000 other women became an integral part of a comprehensive data set that provides important information about the needs of the residents. This data has helped to strengthen the creation of the first care system in Mexico City.