The 12 main social problems in Mexico

Mexico is a country of great beauty, full of dreamlike places and with great ecological and cultural wealth.

In this country we can see from the ruins of the ancient heart of the Mayan empire (Chichén Itzá) or mexica (Tenochtitlán), to reserves of the biosphere as relevant as the Sanctuary of the Butterflies Monarch. It also has a long history and tradition, with wide cultural diversity and a population density that makes it one of the ten most densely populated countries in the world.

However, the United Mexican States also suffers from a series of social problems that greatly harm its inhabitants. Throughout this article we will see some of the main social problems in Mexico, extracted on the basis of surveys such as the National Quality and Government Impact Survey, the Organization for the Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Institute for Strategic Studies or institutions such as Unicef ​​or the ONU.

• Related article: "The 15 most violent and dangerous countries in the world"

Main social problems in Mexico

Among the main and most relevant social problems present in Mexico, since approximately 2015 the following stand out as the most relevant.

1. Insecurity and crime

Insecurity is one of the best known problems in this country, being considered as the greatest cause of concern for the inhabitants of Mexico and having this country some of the most dangerous cities in the world. The main reasons for this are delinquency and organized crime, especially drug trafficking.

2. Poverty

Another of the major social problems in Mexico, and probably one of those that are at the The basis of most of the rest of the problems on this list is found in the high level of poverty. Although it seems that over the years the country's economy has improved, the truth is that a large part of the population (in 2013 almost half of it) is below the poverty line, especially in rural areas.

3. Inequality

A key factor in the social problems that Mexico is experiencing is found in inequality, or rather, in the inequalities that exist between citizens.

There is a great inequality of opportunities, observing for example inequalities at the gender level (women earn less and have more difficulties in accessing employment), territorial (inhabitants of different regions have different development possibilities) or even at the immigration level (citizens who migrate when they return find that they have lost many opportunities and advantages of which they used to enjoy). As in other countries, socioeconomic status is also a relevant factor when it comes to having or not having access to different goods, services and development possibilities.

4. Corruption

Corruption is another of the factors that most worries the inhabitants of the country and that most damages their day to day, being present in different strata of society and participating in citizen insecurity previously mentioned. In this sense, The OECD indicates that Mexico is the member country of this organization with the highest level of corruption. Likewise, this greatly affects the existence of great distrust towards public institutions and political parties.

5. Justice

The confluence of crime and corruption, together with the high distrust of public institutions, causes Mexico to have severe problems with regard to the correct exercise of the judiciary, being considered the second country with the worst administration of this power in Latin America.

6. Unemployment

The lack of employment is also a relevant social problem in this Latin American country, with 3.5% of the census population unemployed in the first quarter of the year. However, we must take into account this problem is much greater than it seems from this data, taking into account that much of the work that exists is precarious and short-lived.

7. Difficulty accessing food

Taking into account the high level of poverty and the fact that we are facing one of the most populated countries in the world, one of the difficulties that also faced by many of the Mexican citizens (especially in rural areas), it is difficult to access sufficient food and balanced. There are worrying levels of malnutrition even in urban areas, with special relevance to child malnutrition.

8. Lack of water

Another problem in Mexico is the increasing scarcity of water. Around 10% of the population does not have access to drinking waterespecially in rural areas and those with fewer resources. In addition, a large part of the country's hydraulic network is of great antiquity and is in improvable conditions, losing much of the water before reaching its destination. And even in the areas where it does arrive, its quality and quantity are inadequate, with the country on the brink of crisis.

9. Low-quality public education

According to the ENCIG, another of the major concerns of Mexicans is that education, which although free and compulsory lacks an infrastructure powerful enough to offer a high school education quality.

Although the state invests heavily in this area and teachers are perceived as competent, It is still worrying that, for example, practically half of the adult population lacks secondary education.

On the other hand, the schooling of children under 4 years of age has starred in a spectacular increase in recent years, and surveys show that education is increasingly being valued by the inhabitants of the country.

10. Discrimination

Despite enjoying a wide cultural variety, various organizations have observed that there is a very low level of social inclusion as regards ethnic minorities, including descendants of indigenous peoples.

• You may be interested: "The 16 types of discrimination (and their causes)"

11. Machismo and violence against women

Although in the educational field there is equal treatment between both sexes, society Mexicans remain largely patriarchal and traditional, perpetuating stereotypes and roles of gender.

One of the great social problems in Mexico is gender-based violence, especially with regard to physical and sexual violence. In this sense, it should also be noted that differences can be perceived in the consideration socioeconomic status of both sexes, with women having more unemployment and being paid less than their counterparts male.

12. Health System

Another of Mexico's social problems can be found in the lack of sufficient public health coverage for all, especially considering the great disparity in economic possibilities and the scarcity of resources that a large part of the population have. A large part of the population decides to opt for private healthcare due to the great deficiencies of the public, which is perceived as not very adaptable to the variations of the needs. These problems are also visible in the mental health sector, with many people who cannot access professional psychological care.

Bibliographic references:

• Social Impact Consultants (2017). What are the main social problems for Mexicans? [On-line]. Available in: http://www.impactosocialconsultores.com/blog/2017/4/19/cules-son-los-principales-problemas-sociales-para-los-mexicanos.
• National Institute of Statistics and Geography (2018). National Quality and Government Impact Survey (ENCIG) 2017. Main results. [On-line]. Available in: https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/programas/encig/2017/doc/encig2017_principales_resultados.pdf.
• Network of Studies on Inequalities of El Colegio de México (2018). Inequalities in Mexico / 2018. [On-line]. Available in: https://desigualdades.colmex.mx/informe-desigualdades-2018.pdf.