Attitudes to women and their mental health in Mexico

In Mexico, there are two females with depression for each male (Medina-Mora et al, 2003) and the rate among poor females is three times higher than that among those with the highest income (Berenzon et al, 1998). Most research findings suggest that depression cannot solely be explained by a simple biological theory but that sociocultural variables also play a major role. These include the different degree of control and power that women and men have over socio-economic determinants and the differences in social position, status and gender role expectations. Traditional gender roles are expressed in prescriptions such as ‘women should be passive and submissive in relation to men’, while the lower value attributed to them, their higher rates of exposure to violence and other stressful risk factors and their scarce opportunities for development affect women’s susceptibility to specific mental health problems. The present paper describes Mexican attitudes towards women and women’s exposure to stressful life experiences that may contribute to their increased psychiatric morbidity, and shows what it means to be female in different Mexican contexts.