Mexico - According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD,) the rate of Mexican women in the labor market is one of the worst in the world, exceeding only that of Turkey, as only 48 percent of all women are employed.

Gabriela Ramos, director and secretary general of OCED, said the percentage of women in the workforce in Mexico is significantly below the average of the organization's 34 member countries - which is 62 percent.

Ramos explained that some young mothers do not seek employment in Mexico but engage in childcare, reflecting the problems they face in participating in the labor market. He said that the main obstacle faced by the women that are in the labor market is lack of time - because of the number of hours they spend on unpaid work, such as house cleaning or child care.

He noted that women hold 31 percent of senior management positions in Mexico, while the OECD average is 32 percent. In addition women comprise only 7 percent of the board of Mexican companies compared to the OCED average of 10 percent.

Only two percent of Mexican women are entrepreneurs, compared to the OCED average of six percent.

Ramos said one of the challenges facing the country is gender equity in labor. Gender equity is necessary in order to create equal opportunities in employment for both women and men.