The Project on Global Working Families: Mexico Household Survey

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Mexico Household Survey

Mexico

Mexico, with a population of 97.4 million in 1999, is one of the largest economies in the developing world. [16] Mexico has 33 million children aged fifteen or younger. [17] Women have been entering the workforce rapidly, with 41 percent of adult women in the formal labor market in 1997, compared to 31 percent in 1980. These figures understate the extent to which women work because they do not include informal employment, which is estimated to have been 26 percent of total female urban employment in 1996. [18]

From 1960 to 1998, the percentage of Mexicans living in urban areas increased from 51 percent to 74 percent, while the percentage of the labor force working in agriculture fell from 55 percent to 28 percent. [19] Services make up the largest sector of the economy (67 percent of gross domestic product [GDP]) and of the labor force (37 percent of employed persons), with industry occupying the second largest portion of the economy (28 percent of GDP) and 19 percent of employed persons. [20] While most Mexicans consider themselves mestiza, or of mixed race, 5.5 million are indigenous minorities and retain their native languages. [21] Indigenous Mexicans are disadvantaged in educational and work opportunities, income, and assets. [22]

Data source

We analyzed data on work and family conditions from the 1996 round of the National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure (ENIGH). [23] The survey contains demographic, education, employment and socioeconomic data on all household members. Data from the 1996 round was examined instead of the 2000 round because the 1996 round also includes a detailed time-use module administered to 4,985 of the surveyed households. Sponsored by the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Geografia e Informatica (INEGI), the survey sampled 64,916 individuals in 14,402 households. Of the survey’s 14,402 households, there were 9,529 households that had a child younger than five, and 13,687 households that had a child younger than fourteen.

See Table 4 for a description of the demographic characteristics of the households surveyed.

Table 4. Demographic Characteristics
Mexico National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure 1996

	Adults	Children
	(18 and older)	(17 or younger)
Age (years)
Mean	38.2	8.5
Range	18-97	0-17

Highest education level (%)
Preschool or no education	13.5	11.7
Primary (6 years)	46.1	62.9
Lower secondary (9 years)	21.8	21.2
Higher secondary (12 years)	9.8	4.2
College and above	8.9	0

Number of under 18 children in household (%)
0	23	0
1	20.2	9.8
2	21.7	22.1
3	16.2	24.8
4 or more	18.9	43.3

Marital status (%)
Never married	23.6	-
Married	57.8	-
Free Union	8.7
Separated	3.5	-
Divorced	1	-
Widowed	5.4	-

Per capita household income (%)
Below Median	51.2	67
Above Median	48.8	33

Measures analyzed

In addition to the analyses described that were conducted in all countries, our analyses included the impacts on children such as school enrollment rates of children aged five to fourteen. For each potential outcome, we examined its relationship to work status of the household. Also, using the time-use module, we examined hours that males, females, mothers, fathers, and children aged 5-19 provided child care during the last week prior to the survey administering. Finally, we also analyzed unpaid work hours including hours spent on child care and on household chores.

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[16] World Bank Group. World Development Indicators 2000. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2000

[17] World Bank Group. World Development Indicators 2000. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2000

[18] International Labour Organization. Key Indicatory Indicators of the Labor Market. Geneva, Switzerland: ILO, 1999.

[19] World Bank Group. World Development Indicators 2000. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2000

[20] Instituto Nacionál de Estadística, Geografía y Informática. Indicadores Sociodemográficos: 1930-1998. Aguascalientes, Mexico, 2000.

[21] Instituto Nacionál de Estadística, Geografía y Informática. Indicadores Sociodemográficos: 1930-1998. Aguascalientes, Mexico, 2000.

[22] Instituto Nacionál de Estadística, Geografía y Informática. Indicadores Sociodemográficos: 1930-1998. Aguascalientes, Mexico, 2000.

[23] For more information, see: http://www.inegi.gob.mx./inegi/default.asp. Instituto Nacionál de Estadística, Geografía y Informática. Accessed: April 1, 2003.

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