Over these recent days of festivity, during which the whole population is celebrating another anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution and the return of their victorious heroes to the homeland, women have a special reason to celebrate. Although the large presence of women across all sectors of national life might seem “natural,” it is a reality which has in fact been realzied by Cuban women over the last 50 years, thanks to the will of the revolutionary government, which recognized that women were exploited on the bases of class, race and gender.
Our Comandante en Jefe, Fidel Castro, stated in the 1960´s that “when they judge our Revolution in the future, one of the issues on which they will not judge us will be the way in which we have resolved, in our society and our homeland, women’s issues, although it is one of the problems of the Revolution that requires greater tenacity, determination, perseverance and effort.”
To carry out this process, women, inspired and supported by Fidel and led by Vilma Espín, created the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) which will celebrate its 55th anniversary this August. Multiple actions have been realized to increase the educational, cultural, political and ideological level of women and facilitate their incorporation into all spheres and levels of Cuban society.
The statistics reveal this revolution within the Revolution: women constitute more than 60% of all higher education graduates, 48% of the civil state sector workforce, 48.86% of all deputies (members of parliament) and are heads of government in 10 provinces in the country, to cite just a few examples.
Their presence is decisive in sectors such as health, education, international collaboration, justice and scientific investigation, and are also leading the way in the country’s new economic industries, as beneficiaries of land in usufruct, self employed workers or part of cooperatives.
Today with optimism and confidence, Cuban women are confronting new challenges. The FMC, which currently has more than four million members, is undergoing a process of renovation and strengthening, with a focus on maintaining the objectives on which it was founded; working in accordance with the specific needs of each community; supporting young people; and providing comprehensive prevention programs, among other initiatives.
The profound transformations in the condition and position of Cuban women, and their political, economic and physical autonomy, are direct results of these 56 glorious years of the Revolution, and of the FMC’s struggle for equality of rights and opportunities for women.
As Vilma Espín, symbol of the unity of Cuban women, said “We are protagonists of a Revolution which has exalted us, dignified us, has made possible the exercise of all our rights.”
