Was born in Mexico City, the fifth of seven children. She is married to Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, with whom she has three children: María, Luis Felipe and Juan Pablo.
She obtained a law degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho. Since 1990, she has alternated her political activities with work at various law firms, as well teaching law.
She served as Local Delegate at the Assembly of Representatives of the Federal District (1994-1997) and Federal Delegate of the 59th Legislative Period (2003-2006), where she was appointed Assistant Coordinator of Social Policy of the National Action Party (PAN) Parliamentary Group.
In the PAN, she was Legal Director of the National Executive Committee and National Secretary of Political Promotion of Women from 1999 to 20003. She has been a National Advisor to that party since 1991.
She has participated in several forums and conferences designed to strengthen gender equity, including the World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995), where she participated in the forum of non-governmental and parliamentary organizations. She is one of the founding members of the Board of Directors of the National Women’s Institute (INMUJERES).
She is currently President of the Citizens’ Board of Advisors to the National System for Integral Family Development (DIF).
During her time as Head of the DIF Board of Directors, in June 2008, Margarita Zavala presented the “For a New Life” information campaign. The campaign is designed to provide parents with information that will contribute to the prevention of addictions among children and youth, which has become a key issue on her agenda.
Likewise, she has worked constantly on the issue of the protection of unaccompanied migrant children, where she has emphasized the need for greater coordination between the various national and international departments and to see the phenomenon of migrations from a child’s perspective.
In addition to these issues, she has promoted an intense agenda to speed up the process of adoptions in Mexico and, together with the DIF Voluntary Network, to support the areas affected in the event of natural disasters.