The Women in Sheinbaum's Cabinet

“I am not arriving alone, we are all arriving,” was one of the most notable phrases from Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s speech after her victory in the June 2 elections, which will make her the first woman to assume the presidential seat of Mexico.

However, the elected president will not be the only woman representing Mexican women during this term, as the federal cabinet will include 21 women in charge of various ministries that make up the federal government.

Despite the historic achievement of a woman becoming president of Mexico for the first time, gender parity in the federal cabinet is not new.

In 2018, with the election of current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the first gender-equal federal cabinet was formed, with half of the ministries led by women. This broke glass ceilings, especially in two key departments: the Ministry of the Interior, led by Olga Sánchez Cordero, and the Ministry of Economy, headed by Graciela Márquez.

For this new administration, parity brings the creation of two new ministries, both headed by women: the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, which will emerge from elevating the National Institute for Women (INMUJERES) to ministry level and will be led by Citlalli Hernández, and the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation, which will replace the National Council of Humanities, Sciences, and Technologies (Conahcyt) and will be headed by Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez.

The ministries that will make up Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum’s cabinet are:

OFFICIAL CABINET

• ROSA ICELA RODRÍGUEZ

Secretary of the Interior

She will be the third woman to lead the federal Ministry of the Interior. During the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, she became the first Mexican woman to head the Ministry of Public Security and Citizen Protection. A journalist by profession, Rosa Icela has over two decades of public service experience.

• ERNESTINA GODOY

Presidential Legal Counsel

A founding member of the Morena party, she was appointed as head of the General Prosecutor’s Office during Claudia Sheinbaum’s tenure as head of government in Mexico City in 2018. She was later confirmed in 2019 after the office transitioned to the Mexico City Attorney General’s Office following the creation of the city’s constitution. She was also a local legislator in the VI Legislature of the then-Federal District Assembly.

• ARIADNA MONTIEL

Secretary of Welfare

Since January 2022, she has held the position of Secretary of Welfare, a role she will continue under President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s mandate. She is an architect by profession, having studied at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

• ALICIA BÁRCENA

Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources

Currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alicia Bárcena holds a degree in Biology and a Master’s in Ecology from UNAM. Her public service career began in the Subsecretary of Ecology in the Ministry of Urban Development and Ecology, and she was also the Director of the National Fisheries Institute from 1988 to 1990.

• LUZ ELENA GONZÁLEZ ESCOBAR

Secretary of Energy

During Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration in Mexico City, González Escobar served as Secretary of Administration and Finance. She holds a degree in Economics from UNAM and a Master’s in City Management from the University of Catalonia, Spain. In terms of her professional profile, she has spent nearly 20 years in public administration.

• RAQUEL BUENROSTRO

Secretary of Public Administration

Since 2022, she was appointed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as Secretary of Economy. Her past roles include Deputy Director of Budget Control at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP), Planning and Development Manager at Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), and Head of the Tax Administration Service (SAT) in 2020. She holds a degree in Mathematics from UNAM and a Master’s in Economics from El Colegio de México (Colmex).

• CLAUDIA CURIEL DE ICAZA

Secretary of Culture

After serving as the Secretary of Culture for Mexico City, Claudia Curiel will become the third woman to head the federal Ministry of Culture, where she will focus her efforts on indigenous peoples and languages. She holds a degree in History from UNAM.

• ROSAURA RUIZ GUTIÉRREZ

Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation

Dr. Rosaura Ruiz holds a PhD in Biology from UNAM. Under Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, she has been tasked with leading the new Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation, which will replace the former National Council for Humanities, Sciences, and Technology (Conahcyt). Rosaura holds a PhD in Sciences.

• CITLALLI HERNÁNDEZ

Secretary of Women’s Affairs

During this administration, she will be responsible for initiating the work of the new Ministry of Women’s Affairs, which will operate with a cross-cutting approach, working alongside all the ministries in the cabinet. “If we manage to align all institutional efforts towards improving women’s lives, it will be much easier to advance our work,” she said in an interview. Hernández began her political career with Morena, the party she helped found.

• JOSEFINA RODRÍGUEZ ZAMORA

Secretary of Tourism

She holds a degree in Business Administration from the Ibero-American University of Puebla. Since 2021, she has led the Secretariat of Tourism for Tlaxcala, where she was known for her campaign “Tlaxcala sí existe” (Tlaxcala does exist), aimed at boosting tourism in the state.

• EDNA ELENA VEGA RANGEL

Secretary of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development (Sedatu)

She holds a PhD in Sociology with a specialization in Society and Territory. She has over 20 years of public service experience, focusing on development and housing sectors.

EXPANDED CABINET

• EMILIA ESTHER CALLEJA ALOR

Director of the Federal Electricity Commission

• TATIANA CLOUTHIER

Head of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad

• LETICIA RAMÍREZ AMAYA

Coordinator of Intergovernmental Affairs and Social Participation

• MARÍA LUISA ALBORES

Secretary of Food for Welfare

• LYNDIA QUIROZ ZAVALA

Head of the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur)

• ROCÍO MEJÍA FLORES

General Director of Financiera para el Bienestar (Finabien)

• RENATA TURRENT HEGEWISCH

General Director of Canal Once

• ROCÍO BÁRCENA MOLINA

Undersecretary of Democratic Development, Social Participation, and Religious Affairs at the Ministry of the Interior

• MARIANA BOY TAMBORREL

Head of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa)

• VIOLETA ABREU GONZÁLEZ

General Director of the Mexican Postal Service (Sepomex)

Mente Mujer.