REGIONAL PATTERNS OF FEMICIDAL VIOLENCE AND INSTITUTIONAL GOVERNANCE IN MEXICO

Abstract

This study analyzes the regional configuration of femicidal violence in Mexico between 2015 and 2025, examining its relationship with intentional homicide, socioeconomic vulnerability, demographic conditions, and institutional governance. The research addresses the extent to which femicidal violence follows generalized criminal violence and the extent to which it maintains a structurally differentiated trajectory associated with territorial and institutional conditions. A longitudinal, regional, observational, and mixed methodological design was employed using official state level information. Femicidal violence was operationalized through annual cases and rates, while intentional homicide represented the broader context of lethal criminal violence. Socioeconomic vulnerability, demographic conditions, institutional governance, and regional configuration were incorporated to identify differentiated territorial patterns. The analysis revealed a strong positive national association between femicides and intentional homicides, with a Pearson correlation of R = 0.78. However, regional trajectories demonstrated that reductions in generalized homicide do not necessarily produce proportional reductions in femicidal violence. This persistence supports the existence of a structural floor of femicidal violence associated with gender related conditions and institutional limitations. Institutional governance emerged as a critical conditioning dimension because weaknesses in prevention, protection, coordination, monitoring, and implementation may contribute to the persistence of violence even under changing criminal conditions. The findings indicate that femicidal violence should not be addressed exclusively through conventional security policies. Effective prevention requires territorially differentiated strategies integrating criminal violence, socioeconomic vulnerability, demographic conditions, institutional capacity, and continuous evaluation of public interventions. The study contributes an integrated framework for understanding femicidal violence as a regional governance problem.