Women in Cuba
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As in many countries, historically women in Cuba are considered inferior, but not nearly as much as before The Cuban Revolution. Though many women showed their loyalty to their country during the trying times in Cuba, success did not come quickly. In 1959, before the Cuban Revolution, 9.8% of women in Cuba held jobs, with 70% of those women working as domestic servants. Oddly enough, women in the working class were often thought of as poor individuals, and were regarded as a lower status than women who did not work.
Fidel Castro played a significant role in liberating women in Cuba during the Revolution. He didn't, however, encourage women to work full-time jobs and raise families at home, since he insisted men would help with the housework and raising children. This wasn't exactly the case in many Cuban families. Prior to the Revolution, Castro claimed that many young women depended on marriage to men of higher status in order to get along in life. A majority of those who did not marry ended up in brothels. In 1959, with 7 million people populating Cuba at the time, about 100,000 women worked in some form of prostitution. Few women were fortunate enough to work in offices, bars, hotels, and stores, since they were hired based on their appearance. Black women were discriminated against in favour of white women in Cuba, denying the former work as nurses, a popular occupation. The Revolution freed the women of Cuba, but prejudices did not fade overnight. Women had to fight for respect in the workplace.
Though Castro denied being prejudiced against women before the Revolution, he later admitted that he was, but it was obvious that in order to win over supporters for the Revolution, women had to be considered as equals. His move to put women in the workplace proved to be a success. In 1959, less than 200,000 women worked in Cuba. By 1990, with a population of 10 million in Cuba, women accounted for 39% of the workforce, and 58% of them were in technical positions. In addition, 55% of university students were women, and they also accounted for the majority of medical students in Cuba. In a period of less than half a century, women's employment increased almost 400%.
Reference
Fidel!: Castro's Political & Social Thought by Sheldon B. Liss, Westview Press 1994.