It is not difficult to find women on social networks who identify themselves as “traditional wives” or tradwives: People who, by their own choice, devote their time to the home and meeting the needs of their husbands.
In contrast to their American or European counterparts – who tend to present themselves as part of the middle or even rural classes – they… tradwives The most visible Mexican women are, for the most part, urban women who openly acknowledge themselves as belonging to the upper class. It is common for them to call themselves “ladies of Las Lomas” or “Sanpetrinas”, in reference to the high-purchasing-power areas of Mexico City and Nuevo León.
They are seen on social media cooking, organizing school or social events, and taking care of their children. However, contrary to the international imagination, tradwives Mexican women also frequently appear in exclusive gyms, eat breakfast in fine restaurants, attend beauty studios or participate in recreational activities in private clubs.
The question is whether this strong class connotation actually constituted the basic aspect of civilization com.tradwife “Mexican style,” and yes, as digital platforms indicate, this lifestyle is growing among younger generations.
To explore this, I analyzed INEGI’s National Survey of Occupations and Employment for married women – or living in a common law union – who are not working, have no intention of working and report no need or desire to do so. That is, home-bound women whose families depend entirely on the income generated by their partner, a man who is officially known as the “head of the household.”
The results show that, beyond what is circulating on the networks, in Mexico tradwives They are few and their percentage has not changed significantly. This picture applies to only 9% of adult women, which is the same percentage as it was two decades ago, when it represented 11%.
Contrary to the image spread on the networks, tradwives Mexican women usually do not belong to the richest or poorest classes, but rather to the middle income levels. In fact, the majority are part of families in situations of vulnerability or poverty, but not in extreme circumstances.
This is also reflected in their educational level: tradwives It is more common among women with secondary education (13%). On the other hand, among those who have a postgraduate degree or who have not obtained primary education, tradwives It is almost non-existent (4% or less). In the first case, because the desire to work prevails. In the second, because economic necessity forces him to do so.
However, this does not mean that “Sanpetrina” does not exist. They exist and they are many. Nuevo León is the state with the largest population tradwives Urban areas of the country (14%). Above all, it is characterized by the presence of a large number of them tradwives upper class. In fact, 20% of all tradwives The state’s urban areas have a bachelor’s or graduate level, which is clearly associated with higher income.
There are also, though to a lesser extent, the “Ladies of Las Lomas.” In Mexico City, there are very few tradwives (Only 6% of adult women exist), but unlike other states, they are few tradwives The existing shilangas seem to have a higher income level than the rest of the country. 25% of tradwives In Mexico City, they obtain a bachelor’s or graduate degree, a fact closely linked to a better income. These are women with high purchasing power who have invested a lot of time and resources in their vocational training, but who are not seeking to enter the labor market. Twenty years ago, only 11% of… tradwives From Mexico City he received higher education. Sinaloa is the only state with a higher percentage of tradwives They have a bachelor’s degree (26%).
One of the most common doubts in networking is whether or not the lifestyle com.tradwife It is increasing, especially among young women. The data does not support this idea. In the past two decades, the rate of tradwives 35 years or younger did not show significant changes.
Thus, instead of this phenomenon representing a return to conservatism com.tradwife In Mexico, this reveals the tension between an aspirational idea built on social networks, in this case a rich woman who does not have to work, and a reality in which the country is progressing, almost entirely, towards higher levels of economic independence and women’s access to education.
This coexistence of opposing trends shows that Mexico is not traveling along a single cultural path, but rather along several paths at the same time. And that even among those women who have decided to devote themselves to the home, obtaining a university degree is becoming increasingly common, opening the door to being… com.tradwife It is only temporary.