Women of Cuba

Bridget Moore

Gender and Women Studies 220 – W

Professor Brown

22 February 2012

The Culture of Cuba’s women

            The culture of Cuban women is tremendously diverse. The same assumption could be made of women of other countries like Cuba; however, the way Cuban women have been treated in the past and what they have experienced first-hand is unique to women of this country. Cuba has been through many ups and downs in regards to their political government concerning Fidel Castro and nation as a society, but the way the women were treated during times of hardship and unfairness is what set them apart from women of other nearby countries. However, since the change of government and revisions to their Constitution as well as the Revolution of 1960, many aspects of a female’s life in Cuba have changed dramatically for the better. Some of those aspects include their legal and employment rights, working conditions, education, health, and freedom of religion. However, one thing that currently still exists “under the radar” is trafficking, even though it has improved since the Revolution.

            To begin with general background of women, the mortality rate is 53/1000, and the sex ratio at birth is about 1.7 males to every 1 female (CIA). These are good indications because it is often likely that with an extremely controlling government like Cuba, officials tend to place laws on the people such as prohibiting a family from keeping more than one child, like China in 1979, and the ratio of males to females typically ends up consisting of an even bigger gap (CIA). Female life expectancy is 79.8 as of 2005, which is just 0.2 lower than the United States (Cuba-Solidarity). Due to sex education programs in the early years of schooling, young people in the past decade have led to a major fall in birthrates among 15-19 year olds (Cuba-Solidarity). Overall, these statistics are fairly average in comparison to other countries and are surprising compared to the history of feminism and the government background.

            The Cuban Constitution has changed drastically after the time period of late 1950’s into 1960’s, in favor of the women who live here. Four specific articles have been created which explicitly guarantee the equality of women based on the rights involving economics, political fairness, societal issues, cultural aspects and also family rights. This has made a profound impact on the women of this country because they had to go through the transition from being treated like a slave, to now being treated as equal to men as women in countries such as the United States. “Article 32 states that women and men enjoy the same economic, political, cultural, social and family rights; Article 41 states that all citizens have equal rights and are subject to equal duties; Article 42 states that sex discrimination, among other forms of discrimination is forbidden by law; Article 43 states that all citizens have equal access to all provisions mad in Cuban society relating to education, work and career advancement, housing, transport and public areas” (Cuba-Solidarity).

            Along with the improvement of the Cuban Constitution with the basis of improving women’s status, their legal rights have also improved with the National Plan of Action of 1997, which a program that incorporated more than 80 measures directly involving the improvement of Cuban women. Some controversial topics that have bettered the status of women include Social Security benefits, labor codes, equality of access (to things such as education and health), and civil and family codes such as the right to maternal leave and abortion (Cuba-solidarity). On the topic of education, as of 2009, the expectancy rate is 16 years/19 years men/women and this statistic has changed since they created these new laws. In comparison, twenty years ago women were often taken out of school to work or take care of their family so the males could be the successful breadwinners of society (CIA).

            Further on the topic of abortion, Cuban doctors have begun prescribing Misoprostol, a drug originally intended to treat duodenal ulcers, to terminate unwanted pregnancies. It wasn’t until about 1965 that abortion and birth control were legalized, and this drug is used widespread throughout Cuba. Figures show that when this drug was first introduced, 1800 women had successfully used in within the first year. And in 1997, nearly 34% babies were aborted (Acosta, Abortion). For the women who plan ahead and try to prevent unwanted pregnancies, there are also contraceptives available and 77% of Cuban women use them regularly, compared to 67% of Latin American women and 76% of American women.  

            Women and the family had once been a large area of dispute when it comes to who has the power within family structures, such as who does the cleaning and taking care of the children, etc.  However, nowadays, that has changed, due to the Family Code of 1975 (Cuba-solidarity). “This principle applies the equal rights between the husband and wife on the areas of marriage, divorce, adoption, maintenance and responsibility for their children. Men are expected to share all the duties and responsibilities relating to the running of the household and the care of children” (Cuba-solidarity). However, speculations of sexist behavior and gender stereotypes still exist to a certain degree.  The Family Code defined domestic chores as the responsibility of both partners and required husbands to do half the housework if their wives worked outside the home. Enforcement of the codes has been difficult, as men are reluctant to relinquish their privilege (Countries and Their Cultures).Women are known to marry early with nearly 60% of births have been to women under the age of 24. This also calls for high divorce rates. Marital rape has been outlawed and there is less domestic violence as well.

            Aside from legal rights, and the outdated Constitution, education was another main point of controversy in the 1960’s. Men dominated the educational field up until the late 1950’s and before this period of time, women weren’t likely to make it past the sixth grade. But since the Revolution, these statistics have changed in favor of women. Recent studies show “about 62% of all students in universities are women and in 2000, in seven out of nine branches of sciences, women represented over 50% of graduates” (Cuba-solidarity). Before 2000, however education in younger children was a bit different. Many were worried and concentrated on the numbers of children who skip school on a regular basis to go to the streets intending to beg for food or other scarce resources. This was caused by the child’s family’s financial burdens and economic difficulties as well as lack of social and family attention. Furthermore, in the late 1990’s, one statistic showed roughly 80% of all children were lacking in their schoolwork (Acosta, Economics).

            Religion is another area which has improved within the last fifty years. Cuba’s main religious movement is known as Santeria and it includes roughly 2/3 of the population. They notably pray to the orishas (divine gods), many of which are identified with Roman Catholic saints. The government doesn’t prohibit this belief because it hasn’t done any harm to the country or caused controversy (History). About 40% of the populations of Cubans are Roman Catholics; however, not many actively practice the religion. There are only a handful of noted Jews and Muslims (History).  Before the Revolution, the number of Catholics was fairly higher, but that changed afterward because it had nationalized all parochial schools, which made churches back off and become almost extinct for a time. The government even went so far as to eliminate the holiday of Christmas in 1969. Finally in 1975, the Constitution guaranteed, albeit limited, religious freedoms (History).

             The last two issues are interrelated and include employment and working conditions. Before the Revolution, women made up less than 20% of the workforce (even less in 1956 at only 17%), but recent figures shows about 44% of workers are now women. Although the Constitution of 1941 declared sexual discrimination illegal and even though women were given the right to manage their own financial affairs, the law was not truly put into use until about 1960. Before this date, the richer women could only find work in the stereotypically female job roles, such as nurses, teachers, and secretaries. Most of the women, however, were forced to work as domestic servants and home workers, making clothing or smoking products such as cigars (Cuba-Solidarity). Prostitution was extremely prevalent and widespread throughout the country, which was commonly the only way to survive for women before the Revolution (Cuba-Solidarity). Today, women are equal to men when it comes to applying for a job and they are hired more than ever before. Education and nursing still are common jobs for women in Cuba but the likelihood of employment has skyrocketed with over 75,000 nurses in recent years compared to only 2000 in 1956 (Cuba-Solidarity). “As part of its commitment to constructing an egalitarian society, the Revolution has successfully incorporated women into agricultural, industrial, and professional occupations. By 1990, half the doctors and most of the dentists in the country were women” (History). The only area that is lacking in female workers is the tourist industry.

            Working conditions are becoming profoundly more comfortable for women in Cuba in recent years compared to neighboring countries and those of Latin America. Women of Cuba are allowed equal rights to men in terms of equal pay, job security, holiday entitlement, pension rights, and training. But this is not true of other countries of Central and South America. Women of other countries face widespread discrimination against pregnant women and sexual harassment as well. This occurs often times in rural areas and has yet to change. A factor that is a counterpoint in working conditions and women is the existence of maternity leave. Cuban women are entitled to six months of leave with 60% of their pay for those six months. They are also allowed another six months off after birth with the guarantee of returning to work. In neighboring countries, however, this is not the same. Many are often “sacked” from their jobs if their managers find out they are expecting (Cuba-Solidarity).  

            Even though since the Revolution of the 1960’s women have been treated remarkably well, the inevitable sex trafficking factor still comes into play when describing the Cuban culture. The scope of trafficking within this country is particularly difficult to measure (as it is in most other countries) due to the closed nature of the government and sparse non-government reporting. However, studies have been assessed to show that there is a current rise of trafficking and the typical age ranges from 15-25 and even though there are laws that ban prostitutes and trafficking, the practice is still in existence because of the current economic struggles (The Factbook). According to the CIA, “Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government did not publicize information about government measures to address human trafficking through prosecution, protection, or prevention efforts during the reported period”. This is a serious problem when they put something so grim and demeaning into a law, and then do not attempt to regulate or monitor it; the law becomes an empty threat.

            By any standards, women are treated equally and fairly compared to men in Cuba and they are also treated extremely well compared to how they were 50 or so years ago and in comparison to neighboring countries. Whether it be legal rights in general, education, religion, treatment in the working place, or any other topic of discussion, Cuban women are now treated with dignity and respect and the country has come a long way as a whole in regards to women’s rights. Women are still hopeful for future changes, but for now they are in good hands.

Works Cited

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- - -. “Health - Cuba: New Abortion Methods In Use In Cuba.” Contemporary Women’s Issues. Global Information Network, 23 May 1997. <http://search.rdsinc.com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu/‌texis/‌rds/‌suite/‌+2tePGXcepxbtqrMwDAdBwTFqnh1ccewx1qmnwwwewhanme-EzpexSmwww/‌showdoc.html?thisTbl=CWI>.

“CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN :: CUBA .” Central Intelligence Agency. 11 Jan. 2012. <https://www.cia.gov/‌library/‌publications/‌the-world-factbook/‌geos/‌cu.html>.

“Cuba.” The Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation. 2000. Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. <http://www.catwinternational.org/factbook/Cuba.php>.

“Cuba.” Countries and Their Cultures. Advameg Incorporation. 2012.

 <http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Cuba.html#b>.

“Cuba.” History. A & E Television Network, 2009. <http://www.history.com/‌topics/‌cuba>.

Johns Hopkins University Press. “THE CUBAN WOMAN’S REVOLUTIONARY EXPERIENCE Patriarchal Culture and the State’s Gender Ideology, 1950-1976.” Journal of Women’s History 22.1 (2010): 61-84. Academic Search Premier. <http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.mnsu.edu/‌ehost/‌detail?vid=6&hid=119&sid=e6126ee1-f58c-49a5-9b36-562c6b3d714b%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=48723703>.

“Women In Cuba.” Cuba Solidarity Campaign. Unison’s General Political Fund, 2008. <http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/‌resources/‌WomeninCuba.pdf>.