A woman could be Mexico’s next leader. Millions of others continue in shadows as domestic workers.

Some 2.5 million Mexicans — mostly women — are domestic workers, a profession that has come to encapsulate gender and class divisions long permeating Mexico. These women play a fundamental role in Mexican society, picking up the burden of domestic labor as a growing number of women professionals enter the workforce. Despite reforms by Mexico’s current president, many continue to face conditions some equate to “modern slavery.” Many are hoping that electing Mexico’s first woman president might shift the balance in their favor.