Femicide rates in Mexican cities along the US-Mexico border

Abstract

Mexican cities along the US-Mexico border, especially Cd. Juarez, became notorious due to high femicide rates supposedly associated with maquiladora industries and the NAFTA. Nonetheless, statistical evaluation of data from 1990 to 2012 shows that their rates are consistent with other Mexican cities’ rates and tend to fall with increased employment opportunities in maquiladoras. Femicide rates in Cd. Juarez are in most years like rates in Cd. Chihuahua and Ensenada and, as a share of overall homicide rates, are lower than in most cities evaluated. These results challenge conventional wisdom and most of the literature on the subject.

Keywords: Maquiladoras, Crime, Gender Violence, Violence against Women, Homicide, Femicide, Border, Mexico, Juarez

JEL Classification: K42, J16, Z13