This case study is one of eight undertaken as part of a research project funded by the UK Departmenr for International Development (DFID) (2008-2010), and the Australian Government (AusAID, under the Australian Development Research Awards) (2008-2011), looking at gender and social protection effectiveness in Latin America, Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

In Mexico, formal social protection interventions have been in place for several decades. The formal social security system provides social protection to approximately 50% of the population - those who are formally employed either in the private sector or by the government. Nevertheless, more than hald of the population, working in agriculture, self-employed, or in the informal sector remain without coverage.

The focus of this report is on one specific social protection programme introduced in 2007, the Estancias Infantiles para Apoyar a Madres Trabajadoras (Child Care Services for Working Mothers).