The Cuban Revolution and the Triumph of Women in Cuba Essay

In 1950, an opposition movement arose in Cuba. It aimed to overthrow the government which was under the rule of the dictator Fulgencio Batista, who had controlled Cuba since the early 1933’s. The leader of the movement was Fidel Castro. In 1954 Fidel and his brother Raul teamed up

My cultural ancestry comes from a Cuban and Mexican decent. I have chosen to write about my Cuban side because I can relate to them more than I could with my Mexican side. I was raised around my Cuban family and would occasionally see my Mexican side due to them living so far away. I have spent a lot more time associating with Cubans and have adapted to more of their habits.

economic growth comes from agriculture and exports to and from Europe. Since America has had an embargo on Cuba since 1962 neither countries trade with each other because of many disagreements about governing techniques and Fidel's unwillingness to comply with U.S. instructions. Cuba’s long history and culture has contributed to many economic and social growth through out the world, but Cuba is still struggling to try to stable their economy.

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.

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

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.

With this transformation of the Cuban government and redistribution of land and wealth, the power of selected Cuban families were changed economically, politically, and socially by the revolution. This change affected women especially, as Castro stated "a people whose women fight alongside men – that people is invincible” (Azicri 1979). The traditional roles of women were challenged by this revolution. Pre-Revolution, Cuban women had tradition roles like any other Latin American countries such as social inequalities, gender gap, subordination and oppression, and wage differences. It wasn't until 1934 that women received the right to vote and in 1940 when the constitution was changed making men and women officially equal. But even with the constitutional equality, women were living in a country were machismo was heavily present that created a blockage of gender roles in the Latin American hemisphere (Chase 2010). Women held low-paying jobs, discrimination, and no benefits. About

After the Cuban election of 1947, Carlos Prio quickly became known as “the most polarized, corrupt, violent, and undemocratic” president in history (Sweig 5). His atrocities prompted General Batista to carry out a coup that would put him in power, backed by the States. The relationship between Batista, Cuba, and the U.S. was one of complete economic gain. Despite the violent uproar President Batista’s coup had sparked, America continued to back and use him to establish an economic stronghold in Cuba. However, Fidel Castro, a young lawyer slated to run for the presidency pre-Batista chose to mount a revolution against him, calling it M267. “As the M267’s military strength solidified beginning in the summer of 1985, it became possible for the movement to relate to the broad anti-Batista opposition from a position of political strength” (Sweig 10). By December 31, 1958, Batista was fleeing Cuba, which made way for Fidel Castro to become

In the early 20th century, Cuba was a nation in constant political turmoil ruled by militant dictators. Prior to the elections of 1952, Fulgencio Batista took power of Cuba in a bloodless coup. His rule left the island in discontent and led to many movements to return the country to its constitutional rule of 1940. On January 1st, 1959 Batista and

wave of the Cuban women’s movement transpired during 1959 all the way through 1974. The principal objective then was to assemble women to take an active role towards the improvement of Cuba, the goal to advance as a communist state. Cuban revolutionaries accepted Cuba’s 1940 Cuban Constitution, as a result revolutionaries sought out to see that the policies were practiced correctly. The constitution had no room for discrimination and offered work paying no attention to either age or sex. Castro was star struck and politically stimulated by the degree of devotion coming from female revolutionaries. He openly acknowledged that the women's movement was a monumental shift in Cuba as women inaugurated their participation in unconventional work4.

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.

Cuba seems to be undergoing the Second Demographic Transition, characterized by a postponement of marriage and childbearing (Hirschman, 1994, 16). This postponement may partly be due to increased education of women, as “highly educated women…are

Prior to this assignment, I had no idea of the turmoil the government of Cuba had been in. In regards to the treatment of homosexuals, to citizens living in the United States, we cringe at the terms “fag” and “queer” as horrendous slurs that no one should ever use. However, the treatment of homosexuals in Cuba went much farther than that. “The government also heightened harassment of homosexuals, raiding several nightclubs known to have gay clientele and allegedly beating and detaining dozens of patrons.” (1) The treatment of those with a different sexual preference went far beyond what I could have ever

This provides broader context in relation to the international conflicts which are often seen one sidedly in capitalist western thought. The biography begins by shedding some light on Fidel Castro’s early childhood and familial relations. It outlines the beginnings of Castro’s revolutionary activity and his ideological development. The successful revolution against Batista and his time in the Sierra Maestra gathering support and followers is then covered. The biography then focuses on the international role of Castro and Cuba during the first decade after the revolution, analyzing the events of the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis to characterize the greater position of Cuba in the era of the Cold War and western imperialism. The following chapter dives into the domestic interests of Castro and Cuba which became more prominent in the late 1960s and 1970s. This dry section includes social issues, such as the role of academia in the regime, political transitions, such as the institutionalization of national bureaucracies and the new constitution, and economic development, which revolved significantly around sugar production, job creation, productivity and trade imbalance (Caistor 86-90). Following the heights of the late 1960s and collapse of the USSR, Castro’s Cuba struggled to support itself. Through the combination of methods of oppression with the development of tourism and obtaining hard currency, Castro maintained control over the floundering nation. After more than 50 years of rule, the still respected Fidel handed power down to his older brother, Raul, who made attempts at reform.

As these aspects of life in Cuba were of prime concern, the effects of the revolution came to achieve this objective. This is shown in “Reflections on the Cuban Revolution” as the author, Gary Prevost, provides statistics that states, “Cuba has an average of one teacher for every forty-five inhabitants, and its literacy rate of 96.4 percent is one of the highest in Latin America” (Prevost 138). Also, health care is a primary issue in Cuba and has come to be an example to third world countries, “with more than 260 hospitals and 420 clinics” (Prevost 138). These grounds show how much Cuba has developed and advanced as a community. Because the revolutionaries had set a plan and were determined to improve Cuba socially, the strategy was a success and went into effect after the revolution.