.. ·....... md snu t t.ed tur e with le rt i oned i ns t; 2) at its ) pointed \11 Forms lad made nination on of the ion ~ rc t.ur e , zi t.ab Iy and 72. With regard tu women's ro Le Hl the LarmIy , It was notf::O that the report did not provide Lnrormat i on as to t.he shar i u., of famil~i responsibilities bet~een husband and wIte, nor was there any reference to the status of women in common law re~atIonshlps, and It was asked whether such unIuns were now recognIzed by law. The questIon ot the surnames ot chIldren born In and out of wedlock was raIsed. In the areas of social securIty and welfare it was not clear whether a wife could receIve a penSIon upon her retirement or wl.ether it was dependent on her husband's death. There were other areas that required additional clarificatIon and amplification, such as health, education and employment. ~o reference was found 1n the report to family planning, whether a woman had an option in the spacing of the births ot her chIldren and whether abortion was legal1zed. 73. Relating to women's civil and political rights, questions were raIsed pertaining to the freedom to pursue a profession or run for elective office. One expert requested clarification regarding the term "living honestly" as it appeared in article 34 of the ConstitutIon, which stated that all Mexican men and women who fulfilled the condition of having reached the age of majority and "lived honestly" were citizens of the Republic. 74. The report revealed the persistence of traditional values, including specific roles ascribed to individuals according to their sex as well as prejudices, and referred to "customs and prc-ctices". It was felt that it was not clear how the Government intended to c'1dnge that situation and what those "customs and practices" were. One member asked to what extent women's attitudes and perceptions of themselves accounted for the InequalitIes that continued to exist, whether women themselves had been made aware of their rights, and to what extent they were making use of them. It was also pOInted out that a correlation seemed to be made between rural and indigenous women, but that no information was gIven on what steps had been taken to Improve theIr situation. lan for in all 75. The Committee also took note of the reference made by the representatIve in hIS Introdllction pertainIng to the world economic crisis and how the latter had affected the status of women; several members asked how the crisis had indeed affected women and how the Government was plannIng to overcome the problem. that i.ty. It 76. It was agreed that more information was necessary about the situation ot women in the country and it was asked whether the Government of Mexico had made any reservations regarding the Convention and, if so, what were those reservations. ed ca L data of every at.us tained )eing remedies In 1 (s) to m the court 77. In answer1ng the questions posed by the members of the Committee, the representative of Mexico recalled that the reason why the Committee had been established was because of world-wide discrimination against women and, therefore, hIS Government could not say that it had eliminated the de facto discrimination. His Government understood that the socio-economic development was essential for that purpose and, for that reason, had taken measures to promote women's participation in the preparation and implementation of the National Development Plan (1983-1988). Women's full integration would take a long time and would go hand in hand with the social and economic development of his country. 78. He explained that difficulties in applying some of the provisions of the Convention were largely due to the limited financial pow~r of the State. The Mexican representative recalled that his country was a developing country SUffering from a number of gaps and imbalances in its economIC and social structure, aggravated by the current economic crisis, which ·.nevitably affected the situation -13- •