OCDE: 'Ninis' in Mexico are mostly women

In Mexico, 22% of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are neither working nor studying, which is 1% less than last year , according to the 2018 Education Landscape Study issued by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCDE) .

However, most of these young people are women who are not looking for employment or education.

On average, out of all the countries that are part of the OCDE, 6% of young people between the ages of 15 and 19 are “ninis.” The number increases to 16% among students between 20 and 24 years of age , and 18% among young adults between 25 and 29 years old .

Mexico ranked fifth place in number of “ninis”

among the 35 members of the OCDE . Turkey ranked first, with 31% ; next was Italy , with 27% ; Colombia, with 25% , and Greece, with 23% . Costa Rica and Mexico were tied.

“Among young people between the ages of 18 and 24 , women are at a greater risk of becoming unemployed and lacking an educational formation: 36% of young women in Mexico were “ninis” in 2017 , with only an 8% of males . This percentage gap ( 28% ) between sexes is the highest in all countries of the OCDE, in which the average difference is of 2% ,” the document explains.

In Mexico, over 90% of women who are neither working nor studying is also inactive ; meaning that they don’t have a job, but they are also not looking for one in the job market. This proportion is not only above average, but also the highest in all of the OCDE and its associates.

The overwhelming gap between male and female “ninis” could be caused by a number of things, though one of the main reasons could be that women in Mexico are usually responsible for raising and taking care of their families. Young women who become pregnant are more likely to quit the job market to take care of their children.

'Ninis’ are a growing problem in Mexico

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