During my time
in Cuba, I was
very interested in the government’s claim that it was working toward women’s
rights and women’s empowerment. Many
countries, politicians, and organizations declare that they are working toward
this end, but the results are usually limited.
I was very interested in seeing how this effort had manifested in a
country that I knew relatively little about; much of what I knew was influenced
by mainstream media coverage in the United
States.
Not surprisingly, I had a very biased idea of what life in Cuba
would be like, and the nature of the Castro regime. This entry will focus specifically on women’s
rights and equality under the Castro administration by analyzing its well-known
literacy campaign from a gender perspective.
I will also delve into my own experiences and reflect on what struck me
most about women’s empowerment and gender equality in Cuba.
Before the 1959
revolution, much of the Cuban population was unable to read. The Castro Administration targeted illiteracy
in perhaps its most infamous campaign, generating lasting positive
effects. The literacy campaign’s goal
was to eradicate illiteracy in Cuba
quickly and efficiently by involving a large segment of the Cuban population as
teachers.
Education has traditionally been perceived as being a nonviolent, feminine sphere rather than a militant, masculine sphere as men typically make up the majority of fighting forces. The government framed the literacy campaign as an important tenet of the revolution, equal to military activity. During Fidel Castro’s speech in Varadero, he stated that the revolution had two armies: the militias and the literacy teachers. He said, reflecting on the revolution that "[T]here were two national armies: the army armed with rifles and cannons to defend the revolution's work, and the army armed with books to carry the revolution forward; one army to fight foreign enemies, traitors, those who wanted to destroy our work; and another army to defeat an enemy that is harder to overcome; ignorance, lack of culture, illiteracy."
The two armies were necessary to fight Cuba’s two enemies: ignorance and imperialism. Imperialism and illiteracy, according to
Castro, were each other’s allies.
Therefore, to fight illiteracy was to fight imperialism. In fact, he said “the battle against
illiteracy is longer and harder. It demands more perseverance and effort. It
requires as much heroism as that needed to defeat imperialism's mercenaries.
The battle to be won against ignorance will give our country more glory than
the military battles already fought or still to be fought. Many military
battles have been won by mankind throughout history; but a battle like the one
you are going to wage has never been waged anywhere in the world. Other
countries have defeated illiteracy, but no country ever proposed to do it in
one year. Our country is the first to tackle such a serious job in such a short
period.”
Herman, R. (2012). An Army of Educators: Gender,
Revolution and the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961. Gender &
History, 24(1), 93-111.
Militarizing the educational sphere, a sphere
typically associated with the feminine, effectively helped advance women’s
empowerment at the same time that it achieved goals related to education. Militarizing the educational sphere reoriented
traditional stereotypes. This had
specific effects for women in Cuba. First, women
were 59% of the teachers and 55% of the beneficiaries. Previously, female literacy rates were very
low. Second, the literacy campaign
itself shifted conventional ideas of masculinity and femininity as women left
home (often for the first time) to join the revolutionary struggle for extended
periods of time, sometimes coming into direct conflict with
counterrevolutionaries. The “militarized legacy of the literacy
campaign highlights the success in changing the nature of patriarchy.” Morality and selflessness became associated
with the idea of a “new man”
rather than with “womanhood” as it had under the patriarchy. While patriarchy continued, the actions of
volunteers changed community expectations of women. Third, literacy volunteers experienced
threats of violence for their service (some were killed), highlighting the danger
on the ground and demonstrating that the campaign was a battle in both rhetoric
and practice. Women and men were both
part of this campaign, breaking down gender stereotypes in a new society forged
by the revolution. Teachers were put on
the same pedestal as military fighters by the government and the general
population.
As for my own
observations and reflections on gender in Cuba,
I had the sense that society was very progressive around this issue. It seemed to me that Cubans had remained
vigilant in the quest for gender equality since the early days of the
Revolution. The literacy campaign
provided an important foundation upon which later gains were made. The Family Code of 1975, which was very
progressive at the time, is currently changing its definition of legal
marriage. According to Dr. Marta Núñez
Sarmiento, a Cuban sociologist and gender expert, the definition of marriage as
a “legal union between man and woman” is being changed to a “consensual union
between two human beings.” Much of this is likely due to the highly
visible campaign led by Mariela Castro and CENESEX. There has been an effort to shift cultural
attitudes as well, through media and soap operas by including non-heterosexual
characters in storylines. According to
Dr. Isabel Moya from Editoria de la Federacion de Mujeres Cubanas, this is
important because the media acts as a gatekeeper, and it is a place where
ideologies of power are reproduced. She
elaborated that “laws are not sufficient, although they are indispensable.”
Huge challenges remain, especially considering the
economic restructuring currently taking place under Raul Castro’s government. According to Dr. Marta Núñez
Sarmiento, the burden of the “second-shift” (referring to domestic duties done
in addition to the formal work hours) has caused women have a higher morbidity
rate than men. Because of the “second shift,” many women do
not seek managerial positions because this would increase their burden with
minimal benefit. Changing entrenched social customs is no
small task. My sense is that despite the
challenges, major social gains have helped strengthen Cuban resiliency to
crises and this will provide an important foundation that will help navigate
the current transition.
Núñez-Sarmiento, M.
(2011). Cuban Development Alternatives to Market-driven Economies. Harvesting Feminist Knowledge for
Public Policy: Rebuilding Progress, 267.
Herman, R. (2012). An Army of Educators: Gender,
Revolution and the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961. Gender &
History, 24(1), 93-111.
Herman, R. (2012). An Army of Educators: Gender,
Revolution and the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961. Gender &
History, 24(1), 93-111.
Herman, R. (2012). An Army of Educators: Gender,
Revolution and the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961. Gender &
History, 24(1), 93-111.
Herman, R. (2012). An Army of Educators: Gender,
Revolution and the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961. Gender &
History, 24(1), 93-111.
Personal Inteview, Dr. Marta Núñez Sarmiento.
29 May 2013.
Personal Inteview, Dr. Marta Núñez
Sarmiento. 29 May 2013.
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