Until the twentieth century, Mexico was an overwhelmingly rural country, with rural women's status defined within the context of the family and local community.  With urbanization beginning in the sixteenth century, following the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, cities have provided economic and social opportunities not possible within rural villages.  Beginning in the late nineteenth century, women including middle-class women began working outside the home in offices and factories, and the gained access to education. Women were granted suffrage in 1953. In the 21st century, Mexican women are prominent in politics, academia, journalism, literature, and visual arts among other fields. In President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's first cabinet following his 2018 election, he appointed women in equal numbers as men. However, a wave of feminism in 2020 has criticized the president for his tone-deaf response to murders of women in Mexico.