Women’s Leadership in Mexican Credit Unions: A Study of Barriers and Opportunities

This paper aims to determine the prevalence of women in leadership positions in Mexican credit unions and to identify patterns of obstacles and attributes. By identifying and addressing leadership constraints, it seeks to stimulate and support greater development of women into management and leadership roles in the credit union system. It is based on a survey of 110 men and 106 women holding management or board of director positions and also on interviews with 18 individuals, including ten male and eight female credit union CEOs and members of the board of directors. The paper covers the following sections in detail:

• Women’s leadership in Mexican credit union sector with a comparison with other countries;
• Gender composition in leadership and its relationship with institutional asset size;
• Various obstacles to women leadership with a focus on formal education, family responsibilities, and basic gender perceptions;
• Recommendations to reduce obstacles and increase women’s participation in management and leadership positions with a focus on improving understanding, providing leadership training, and offering accessory support measures.
• The study finds that women occupy administrative and mid-level management positions and their leadership is more prevalent in small- and mid-sized credit unions rather than in large organizations.