Importing career opportunities: how foreign multinationals drive female leadership in Mexico

Drawing on institutional theory, this study examines the extent to which foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) contribute to women’s representation in top management teams (TMTs) in Mexico. The empirical analysis is based on a dataset constructed from Expansión’s annual list of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Business,” combined with country-level indicators from the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index, inward foreign direct investment, and home-country GDP per capita. Using a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model, we assess the relationship between foreign ownership, home-country gender norms, and female executive representation. In addition, publicly available LinkedIn data were used to capture women’s tenure within their current firms. The results show that 68.5% of the women featured in the list work for foreign MNEs and that higher gender equality in MNEs’ home countries is significantly associated with greater female representation in leadership positions, suggesting that institutional and cultural norms travel with firms across borders. Women’s tenure was marginally longer in foreign-owned firms, but non-significant. Overall, the study contributes to international business and gender diversity research by highlighting foreign MNEs as potential drivers of inclusive leadership in emerging economies with persistent gender inequality.