Stage set for first female president in Mexico

STORY: The stage is being set for Mexico to have its first female president.Claudia Sheinbaum was confirmed as the ruling party's candidate in next year's vote on Wednesday.And Xochitl Galvez is the main opposition contender.It marks an "extraordinary" scenario, according to Senator Josefina Vazquez Mota, once a presidential candidate herself."It will be a turning point and if there was already a wider path where girls and teenagers beside us will walk without so many difficulties, without so many obstacles to demonstrate that they are capable, that they are intelligent, that they deserve it, this will change the dynamics of the lives of millions of girls and teenagers.”Mexico is home to the world's second biggest Roman Catholic population.For years, it was a bastion of traditional values that tended to limit women's access to a life outside the home.But reforms to increase women's political clout were spurred on by the end of one-party rule in 2000, as well as global advances in women's rights.Now, women must make up at least 50 percent of parties’ candidates.The country has its first female Supreme Court chief justice and central bank governor.And polls show the majority of the public is ready for a woman president.“I don't think anyone can understand the women's issue as well as another woman,” says this accountant.The picture isn’t entirely rosy.Studies show women remain seriously under-represented in board rooms, and are paid significantly less than male counterparts.All while forced marriages of girls still plague the country and violence against women is on the rise.While Senator Vazquez Mota says she believes the vote could represent a "watershed" in the country, others are quick to point out, the changes that have taken place in politics still need to make their way to all walks of life.