Mexico’s freedom and individual rights

Mexico’s freedom and individual rights:
The optimistic legality VS the negative panorama

Mexico is a developing country which has advanced considerably in terms of freedom. Unlike in previous centuries, now there are certain rights each individual has the right to expect with regard freedom of education, employment and family life.

Though in Mexican history the upper classes have always had more access to better instruction, nowadays freedom of education is guaranteed in the 3^rd article of the Constitution and since 1990 there have been official organisms who have tried to improve the educational panorama in the country. This is not, however, to say that the rights are resolving everything. On the one hand, in urban areas, there are a high number of private schools because many families just feel that the federal institutions cannot offer good education to their children; on the other hand, in rural areas there are still many children who are not going to school, either for old ideas or family needs, and poorer classes are not always offered sufficient opportunities to go to school.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to access to higher education. Thousands of young people dream with going to college, to the UNAM or the IPN, which are two of the two best universities in the world. Nonetheless, every year, too many disappointed youngsters are left without the chance to study a major. Moreover, in many institutions there is no academic freedom at all and not a few of them impose their norms upon teachers who must conform to the rules or be fired. In addition, too many teachers are not well prepared and the government reforms have unsuccessfully dealt with the problem in practical terms.

In terms of employment the situation is no more positive. There are just far more laborers in Mexico than well-prepared professionals. For years, the government has imposed severe restrictions on their own people and the federal control over resources, interest rates and income taxes has increased since the reforms perpetuated in the current presidency. While peasants, teachers and working classes are given limited opportunities to succeed in life, the political classes have been more interested in giving an impetus to foreign investment, and neglecting the boost national market. Too many workers are paid too little, for they are hired for monopolist companies, and, this is why millions of people prefer setting their own businesses or getting into informal trade, due to the lack of jobs.

Thinking about family life, too many Mexican families have become too liberal rather than restrictive. These days there are not too many restrictions by families and, unlike in previous years, young partners can normally be married without the family's objection or permission. It is true that there are still some old trends of machismo in certain families and some people’s minds, but gender equality is recognized by the law and there is more tolerance in the current panorama, where women are usually given equal access to many areas of life. Nonetheless, appearances sometimes might be delusive, for some studies have demonstrated that there are still companies and jobs where a trend of discrimination against women is present.

In conclusion, though there have been changes on the paper, legal regulations are insufficient to solve the problems on personal freedom in Mexico. Different national situations cause a lot of limitations for people but it is my strong belief that people’s hearts need to be changed and practical solutions should be implemented if these limitations on freedom really want to be solved.