The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) published the results of the Social Rights Information System (SIDS) 2016-2024, showing a drop in access to health services from 84.4% to 65.8%, with women disproportionately affected. In the context of International Women's Day 2026, the data reveal persistent gaps in social security, where for every 100 men in formal jobs there are only 68 women. This situation highlights systematic exclusion in informal and care sectors.
The SIDS data, published this week by INEGI, indicate that one in three Mexicans lacks medical coverage, with women bearing the brunt. While multidimensional poverty has reached historic lows, gender gaps in health and social security remain stagnant. In the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), the backbone of social protection, there are only 68 women for every 100 men registered in formal positions, reflecting exclusion in informal and care occupations where affiliation is limited.
The 2024 SIDS shows that only 50.7% of beneficiaries received preventive services in public institutions, meaning half of insured women do not access timely detection of cervical or breast cancer, quality prenatal care, or family planning services. The 'maternity penalty' is evident in an 18 percentage point gap in economic participation between women with and without children, a figure unchanged from eight years ago. Leaving the formal market for caregiving causes women to lose income, IMSS entitlements, and interrupt contributions, leading to precarious old age: 96.7% of indigenous rural women have never contributed to social security.
These inequalities have fatal consequences. Maternal mortality rose from 47.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018 to 72.4 in 2022, coinciding with health system fragmentation. According to The Lancet and the Journal of Global Health, effective maternal health coverage for indigenous women was 18.3% from 2009 to 2023, compared to 25.3% for non-indigenous. In Chiapas, only 36.7% of the population has effective health access; in Oaxaca, 75.2% cannot reach a hospital in under two hours.
Advances are noted, such as non-contributory pensions for the elderly rising from 32.6% to 40.1% between 2016 and 2024, but health coverage fell nearly 19 points in the same period. The data emphasize the need to invest in the National Care System and recognize care periods as worked time for equity in social security.
