Mexican women have long struggled with their country’s culture of machismo. Now Mexico, ahead of the U.S., is about to elect its first woman as president.

With two women leading the contest, Mexico will likely elect its first female president – a major step in a country long marked by its “macho” culture.

She sold snacks in a small town in central Mexico as a girl and rose to national politics with a biography that could help take her to the heights of power. But polls show Xóchitl Gálvez trailing the ruling party's candidate ahead of Mexico's June 2 election.