#8M Calls to Promote the Rights of All Women

Reporter: Claudia Villalobos / Photographer: Javier González

“Politécnicas Abriendo Caminos” concludes successfully with a call for greater social justice and full rights for women.

The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) concluded the institutional activities that formed part of the 11–8 campaign “Politécnicas Abriendo Caminos,” held in the framework of the commemoration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11 and International Women's Day on March 8. The initiative recognized the role that women and girls currently play in the fields of science, technology, and innovation.

At the event, organized by the Unidad Politécnica de Gestión con Perspectiva de Género (UPGPG), its head, Elizabeth Cabrera Chávez, emphasized that the activities carried out represent a reaffirmation of women’s presence in the scientific and technological fields and constitute a space that historically has been built for women after centuries of collective struggle.

She stated that this March 8 should be an opportunity to continue working together toward social justice, collective action, and full access to the rights of all women.

Cabrera Chávez noted that IPN continues to work to ensure that Polytechnic talent contributes to mobilizing and transforming the country, and that all Polytechnic women, with passion and rigor, continue opening new paths.

“Today, we move forward with firm steps as professors, researchers, students, workers, and public servants. We know that the road to equality has been long and dangerous, but walking those paths has made us resilient and supportive of one another.

“We have built community and networks of support with other women,” stated the head of the Gender Unit.

She emphasized that the echo of the steps taken by earlier generations of Polytechnic women has become the path for current and future generations. The Gender Unit has supported, with ethics and responsibility, initiatives aimed at promoting autonomy and empowerment among Polytechnic women. This work aligns with recent constitutional reforms on substantive equality and with the creation of the first sectoral equality program in the country’s history.

IPN Secretary General Ismael Jaidar Moner highlighted that, within the framework of this commemoration and in accordance with the initiatives promoted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, the Polytechnic continuously encourages women’s participation in institutional life.

In that context, he recalled that the Programa de Mentoras Politécnicas has been recognized nationwide as a reference initiative promoting the entry and retention of women in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Implemented at IPN in 2021, the program has so far trained seven generations of women in technological disciplines.

As part of the campaign’s activities, poetry circles, exhibitions, collaborative initiatives, film discussions, open laboratory sessions, recreational activities, lectures, and roundtable conversations were organized, all of which contributed to transforming the thinking of the Polytechnic community and encouraging scientific vocations.