Achievements, challenges and experiences of mexican women in wildland fire management

Abstract

In Mexico, the participation of women in paid positions is still far below that of men due to many factors such as discrimination in hiring practices, compensations, opportunity and promotion; inflexible work requirements; insufficient services such as childcare, as well as inadequate distribution of family tasks at home, among others. In the forestry sector, this is further accentuated, particularly in the area of wildfire protection and ecosystem fire management. Faced with this situation, government, academic and civil society organizations in Mexico and the United States have made an effort to strengthen the technical and leadership capacities of women in Mexico and Latin America to promote their inclusion. This path has challenges, but it has been possible to improve visibility of women working on fire issues, to provide an opportunity for training on the subject, to generate a space for reflection and exchange of knowledge and experiences for women in Mexico and Latin America, and expand the network of women working on fire in the region. One of the main obstacles identified in this analysis continues to be the retention and promotion of the women who were initially trained. Remaining institutional, cultural and budgetary challenges have limited further progress. The objective of this document is to describe the advances and challenges that have been identified for women in fire management in Mexico.