Vol. 72/No. 44      November 10, 2008

BY ELIZABETH STONE  
The struggle of women for equal rights in Cuba is a process. At every stage, underdevelopment has placed obstacles along the way. But since 1959 there have been big leaps forward in all areas—from the right to an education, a job, paid maternity leaves, child care, and abortion to getting rid of prostitution and ending degrading practices such as beauty contests and sexist advertising.

Such impressive gains could not have been achieved except within the context of a deepgoing revolution which not only challenged the oppression of women, but set out to eradicate capitalism—an economic system whose motive force is maximizing profit for a tiny handful who own the productive resources of society—and replace it with an economic system based on maximizing the well-being of all. Every single gain Cuban women have made—whether it has been the right to a job or free abortion and contraception or equal education—has come about as part of this broader revolutionary transformation aimed at improving the lives and standard of living of the masses of Cuban workers and peasants.

The women who were most oppressed before the revolution—Black women, poor peasants, agricultural workers, prostitutes, maids, and the urban poor—have benefited most from this process.

Before the revolution, discrimination against Black women was severe. Segregation existed in public areas and facilities such as hotels and beaches, and Black women had an even harder time than their sisters in getting a job. Black women were excluded from some of the more sought-after occupations such as nursing.

Now racial discrimination and segregation in jobs, schooling, housing, and recreational facilities is a thing of the past in Cuba. Some racist attitudes still exist, especially among older people, and the effects of the legacy of centuries of Black oppression have not been fully eradicated. But the whole revolutionary climate of Cuba—the internationalism, the solidarity with liberation struggles in Africa, and the opposition to racism and chauvinism of any kind—helps to counteract this and puts Cuba in the vanguard of the fight against racism internationally.

In Cuba today there is no capitalist ruling class which seeks to profit from racism or sexism and there is no capitalist drive to roll back gains already won in order to improve profit margins.

Masses of Cubans have taken part in discussions about women’s rights in their CDRs [Committees for the Defense of the Revolution], the FMC, and the assemblies of People’s Power, and voted on what course should be taken to bring this about. And masses of working people and peasants have participated directly in bringing about the needed changes through activities such as the campaign to bring women into the work force.

There is nothing that dramatizes the interrelationship between the class struggle and the struggle of women in Cuba better than the commitment of the Cuban government to the expansion of social services such as child care. While the government in the U.S. is cutting back on such things as education, health-care benefits, pensions for old people, and aid to the handicapped, Cuba continues to devote more and more resources to such services. And there is a strong emphasis on trying to make public institutions and services of as high a quality as possible.

The nature of the child-care centers is a prime example of this. Children at the centers are provided with clothes, bathed, given nutritious meals, and provided with regular medical examinations, shots, and dental care. Psychiatric care is also provided where needed.

The purpose of such centers is not simply that of baby-sitting while parents work, but to promote the full intellectual, physical, and social growth of the children. There is also a conscious attempt to develop in them a social consciousness. For example, children learn about how workers and farmers produce the food and other products they use, and they are taught to value the contributions made by all those who work. Children learn to share with each other, are taught to respect each other, and to identify with children of other countries.

The long-term goal is for all preschool children to be able to go to such centers, where they can benefit from an environment structured especially for them—with facilities, toys, and an experience with other children that an individual home cannot provide. Even infants benefit from the collective experience at the centers and babies are accepted from the age of 45 days on… .

Another inspiring innovation for youth of the junior high school level are the hundreds of boarding schools in the countryside. The youth at these schools are put in charge of agricultural projects and spend part of the day working in the fields and the other part studying, going to classes, and taking part in sports and other recreational activities. The guiding principle for this type of school, as it is for all Cuban education, is that of combining physical work with study. At every grade level, young people in Cuba participate in some kind of manual labor. Even the preschool and grade school youngsters help tend little gardens.  
 
 
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