Female taxi drivers in Mexico City: Facing patriarchal structures as a force of oppression

Anri Hiramatsu

Gender, Work and Organization, 2022, vol. 29, issue 5, 1638-1657

Abstract: An increased need for safety has led to a demand in Mexican cities for female drivers for taxis and ride‐hailing services. However, little attention has been paid to female drivers' vulnerability to gender‐based violence and the challenges of working under patriarchal structures. This article draws on the empirical application of Walby's patriarchy framework (1990, 1997) to assess the interrelationship between patriarchal relations in households, paid work, and male violence, on the one hand, and the entry, working conditions, and survival strategies of female drivers in the Mexican taxi industry, on the other. The accounts of the dozen female drivers in Mexico City highlight key challenges faced by these women: Interaction with co‐workers, mistrust of their professional capabilities, sexual harassment, occupational hazards, and lack of political power in the taxi organizations. The findings show that the female drivers are heterogeneous in their working patterns and safety strategies, depending on their different social class and age. The article concludes with recommendations for the city government to provide an effective support scheme for female taxi drivers following an assessment of their demographics and labor force participation patterns.

Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12633

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:gender:v:29:y:2022:i:5:p:1638-1657

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0968-6673

Access Statistics for this article

Gender, Work and Organization is currently edited by David Knights, Deborah Kerfoot and Ida Sabelis

More articles in Gender, Work and Organization from Wiley Blackwell
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().