Article 123 of Mexico’s Constitution, section A, fraction VI, says that general minimum wages must be sufficient “para satisfacer las necesidades normales de un jefe de familia” (to meet the normal needs of a head of family). They must cover those needs in material, social and cultural terms, and pay for the children’s compulsory education.
The idea goes back to the original text of 1917, which considered the worker as head of a family. Article 90 of the Federal Labor Law now repeats the rule and speaks of a jefe o jefa de familia, a male or female head of family.