Access to financing, business formalization, and confidence to start businesses remain among the main challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Mexico , despite the existence of support programs promoted by all three levels of government, according to María Isabel Herrera, president of the Women Entrepreneurs Commission of the National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Canaco) Tijuana .
Although there are funds directed to this sector, in practice barriers to accessing them persist, particularly among women aged 50 to 60, Herrera commented.
“The biggest challenge is trusting them. The second is that the funding system for women should not just be talk, but action,” she stated.
She explained, in an interview with T21, that many businesswomen find it difficult to apply for loans , even though the programs are specifically aimed at women.
Another challenge, he added, is to strengthen the formalization of businesses to reduce unfair competition from informal trade, a situation that affects those who comply with their tax obligations.
Despite these challenges, Herrera Covarrubias considered that one of the main advances has been achieving greater participation of women within Canaco Tijuana.
In seven months, the Women Entrepreneurs Commission grew from four to 102 members , incorporating companies from sectors such as freight transport, construction, textile industry, health and specialized services, with the goal of generating business networks, training and support to strengthen their business development.
According to the organization itself, women lead 80% of new businesses in Tijuana . However, in addition to the challenges mentioned, factors such as high operating costs, insecurity, and the region’s economic conditions cause three out of every ten women-run businesses to close or modify their business model.
According to the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE) of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) , the Economically Active Population (EAP) was 62.1 million people in May 2026 , which represented an annual increase of 460,000 people.
Of the total, the economic participation rate of women was 45.8% , similar to that of May 2025, reflecting that jobs for this sector in Mexico remained virtually unchanged.
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