Gender Roles and the Cuban Revolution of 1959 Essay

Castro’s involvement with the foreign and domestic politics during the early Cold War period greatly influenced the outcome of the Cuban Revolution. Without the actions taken by foreign powers like the United States and Russia, some events on the domestic front may have had very different results. It is important to understand how every nation’s foreign policies can influence more than just one other nation, and this was especially true for Cuba. It was this mix and chain of events which produced the communist Cuba that we are familiar with today.

The readings for this week consisted of the second half of Conceiving Cuba by Elise Andaya (2014). This half of the book focused on abortion, gendered work and surviving through migration (Andaya, 2014). Overall, Andaya (2014) focuses less on reproductive health and women than one would expect, and instead provides more of a critique of the shortcomings of the socialist revolution in Cuba. These critiques get in the way of Andaya’s (2014) narrative and ultimately detract from the discussion of reproductive health in Cuba.

The Effects of the Cuban Revolution on Women’s lives and Gender relations in Cuba from 1959 to 1990

The effects of the Cuban Revolution on women’s lives and gender relations in Cuba from 1959 to 1990 include that some say women have not reached equality yet with men, women gained more opportunities for themselves, economy and politics, and also how women still had responsibility for children and home, not men.

As the saying goes, “a woman’s work is never done,” but today’s women live a far different life than their predecessors. The women of the revolution were courageous and brave-hearted. The obstacles of their time were far more difficult to overcome than those faced by women in this day and age. Whether it was slavery, war, or racial prejudice, these women kept their heads held high and worked to break down these barriers and create change for the future. On top of having to deal with these hardships, the women of the revolution had families to take care of, mouths to feed, houses to clean, and wounds to heal. For many women of the revolution it was all about taking a stand for their rights and being

Beginning in the 1920’s, relations improved somewhat for women in Cuba. With the political arrival of Ramón Grau San Martín, women’s rights furthered, and women’s suffrage was achieved in 1934. Grau San Martín attributed his presidential victory of 1944 to the support from the Cuban women. The upward trend of women in Cuba reversed in the 50’s underneath Batista. With sexual tourism, corruption, and Mafia ties, Cuba’s government increased the difference between the sexes that already existed, and gender relations worsened.

The American Revolution, as many would assume, changed the lives of several groups of people both politically and socially. Depending on the group of people, the revolution either improved or diminished the quality of life for some. When looking at the quote, "The American Revolution was not truly revolutionary. Unlike later revolutions in France, Haiti, Russia, China, and Cuba, the American Revolution did not result in broad changes in American society,” I agree with this statement when examining women before, during and after the revolution. Though, women were the group of people who worked the most, they received the least. The American Revolution did not grant women the rights and liberties they fought hard to acquire, even with the subtle changes that only continued to oppress them. During the revolution, while men were away women were the ones who took over many of their responsibilities such as farm and shop work. They aided male soldiers with simple yet important necessities such as military weapons, food and health care.

Women’s right has been a problem throughout the nineteen century. Women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were women's most significant professions, in the 19th century; however, women won the right to vote and increased their educational and job opportunities. Women were long considered naturally weaker than men. Prior to the American Revolution the women were viewed as weak and unable to perform hard work. Also, women place were the house, take care their children, clean the house, organized the house, cook, and take care animals. During the American Revolution many women faced a lot problems because they

The Cuban revolution had great domestic and international influences and reshaped Cuba’s relationship with the world, especially with United States, which continues an embargo against Cuba as of this very day. Immediately after the revolution, Cuban government started a program of nationalization and political consolidation, which ultimately transformed Cuba’s economy and society.

When developing this proposal I wanted to look at the everyday life and struggles of women during and after the Cuban Revolution. Looking at a lot of the sources available from the Cuban Revolution it is clear to see that women played a crucial role in the revolution. But most of the secondary sources that I have found surround three specific women, Haydée Santamaría, Celia Sanchez and Vilma Espín. These revolutionaries played a crucial role in shaping the outcome of the Cuban Revolution while also advancing feminism and gender equality. By looking specifically at these women I developed the central question: how Haydée Santamaría, Celia Sanchez and Vilma Espin, able to shape the future of women’s lives in Cuba? Some other questions that helped

The Cuban revolution was the spark that ignited the flame of communism in Cuba. The developing nation gained independence only as recently as 1898, and was already filled with an atmosphere of distrust and resentment towards the United States. In July of 1953, a revolution began in Cuba between the United States backed President Batista and Fidel Castro. Fidel and his brother Raul Castro lead a series of guerilla warfare battles against the forces of President Batista. “I am Fidel Castro and we have come to liberate Cuba,” stated Fidel Castro. In January of 1959, Fidel Castro became the President of Cuba. With the regime of Fidel Castro, Cuba would fall to communism.

The Cuban Revolution was a necessary act that attempted to improve the lives of the cuban population through many horrific events. The Cuban Revolution, which began in the early 1950’s, was an overthrow of a corrupt government. Throughout Fidel Castro’s multiple attempts to improve the horrific conditions of the Cuban population, the Revolution became a long and tragic journey beginning with the 26th of July Movement, to The Bay of Pigs invasion, to The Cuban Missile Crisis.

The clear distinction of gender roles has been evident since prehistoric times. Since then, many occurrences have shaped the roles of each gender. However, many individuals believe that there is no difference between male and females in terms of their working ability. Venezuela is one of the nations that has the privilege of gender equality. Venezuela is considered the Latin American nation with the highest gender equality (AVN- Correo del Orinoco International). This was done by social inclusion policies that the Venezuelan government has been working on, and is extremely productive for the nation. This motivates the women of the country to work harder and achieve success. These Venezuelan women have been able to attain active roles in political, commercial, and social aspects of the nation.

A revolution is known as being an activity or movement designed to effect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation. Cuba during the decade of the 1950's experienced this type of rebellion in search for an enhanced and better-developed society, independent of all outside domination. Cuban citizens were at a point where they needed to be free and be able to enforce the constitution established in 1940, which included amendments stating that Cuba should be a "democratic republic…shall not conclude or ratify pacts or treaties that in any form limit or menace national sovereignty or the integrity of the territory," and such. I chose this topic because there has been so much controversy

The Cuban Revolution, which began in the early 1950’s, was an overthrow of a very corrupt government. It was an attempt to improve the conditions of the Cuban people, but the path was covered in blood and sweat and an informed historian has to ask, was it really worth it? How much actually changed?