Mexican textile artisans face labor inequality and wage gaps

Textile artisans in Mexico are facing severe labor inequality and discrimination, a situation that activists warn is preventing younger generations from continuing traditional family trades. During the presentation of the report ‘Tejiendo el cambio’ by the civil organization Unidas, workers highlighted the structural vulnerability of this female-dominated sector.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) indicates that the subsector suffers from a 94% labor informality rate. There is also a significant gender wage gap: women earn an average of 3,699 pesos per month, while men earn an average of 7,399.5 pesos. This disparity, driven by gender bias and abusive intermediaries, disproportionately affects indigenous creators.

Social protection is also critically low, with only 2.4% of workers having access to health services and social security. Artisans, including Blanca Arely López of the Colectivo Jtatic Samuel Ruiz, are calling for legal reforms to recognize their work as a formal profession rather than a hobby to ensure basic labor rights and preserve cultural heritage.