Female politicians such as Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum face ‘backlash driven by discrimination’

Assault on Mexican president highlights abuse faced by women in politics and ‘reinforces patriarchal boundaries’

The brief and deeply unsettling encounter lasted just a few seconds, sparking outrage across Mexico and beyond as it laid bare what many women in the country face daily.

But for those who have spent years tracking women in politics, the incident in which a drunken man attempted to kiss Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, on the neck and grope her was shocking but not entirely surprising.

“It’s definitely part of a pattern,” said Zeina Hilal, of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the global organisation of national parliaments. “It’s really an illustration of what women in politics are facing.”

In 2016, the organisation surveyed 55 female politicians from 39 countries about their experiences of sexism, harassment and violence.