Free or brave women?

The Mexico City’s Sendero Seguro Policy

Abstract

From the perspective of gender equality, autonomy, women's rights and the Sustainable Development Goals we discuss the case study of the Sendero Seguro Program promoted by the Mexico City government. We discuss the relationship between care and the city in light of the growing pressure on the demand for care in large cities as a result of the combination of several factors. On the one hand, the decrease in mortality and increase in longevity accompanied by the increase in chronic-degenerative diseases, deficiency in the prevention of diseases and disabilities. On the other, the lack of sufficient and adequate public urban services and equipment for care. Through an analysis of care policy at the regional, national and municipal levels, we conclude that the governments' response to this care crisis in cities has turned into fragmented actions which indicates a limited understanding of the role that city has supporting care work. The Sendero Seguro Program instead of expanding access to fundamental rights such as efficient and safe mobility that leads to the democratization of care work, reproduces spatial segregation by gender that continues to put women and people who depend on them at risk.

Keywords: caring city, inequality, urban insecurity, urban planning with a gender perspective