Pregnancy and child motherhood in Mexico. From girls to caregivers: The forced assignment of care. An approach from the life project.

Abstract

This article examines child pregnancy and child motherhood in Mexico over the last decade as a structural phenomenon that functions as a mechanism of forced care assignment, prematurely and coercively incorporating girls into the care economy. Drawing on a qualitative, documentary, and critical approach, the analysis integrates three dimensions—empirical, normative, and theoretical—grounded in feminist care economics and the concept of life project as a human right. The article argues that child pregnancy constitutes an expression of structural violence that reproduces gender-, age-, and class-based inequalities. Furthermore, it contends that this phenomenon entails a profound and, in many cases, irreparable infringement upon girls’ life projects, as the imposition of caregiving responsibilities restricts their autonomy, personal development, and future opportunities. In this regard, the study concludes that child pregnancy and child motherhood are not systemic failures but rather functional mechanisms for the social reproduction of inequalities.