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14

Cuba’s emerging private sector.

Throughout its history the FMC

has been focused on raising the

level and status of women’s em-

ployment in the Cuban economy.

At the time of the revolution, only

25% of Cuban women were em-

ployed outside the home. After

the revolution, women who

worked went into the service sec-

tor, including teaching and child

care. With the literacy campaign

that began in 1959, which brought

near universal literacy to the Cu-

ban population, and a focus on

free and universal education for

all Cuban children, far more wom-

en became educated and trained

for a wide range of employment

opportunities. Today Cuba has

the one of the highest literacy

rates among countries in the

world.

Equal pay is the law in Cuba:

women and men are paid the

same wage for the same job. It

seems that law and government

have become professions of

choice for more recent genera-

tions of Cuban women. In 2016,

women make up 61% of all attor-

neys in Cuba; 49% of the judges;

and 47% of the Judges of the Su-

preme Court. Women hold 33%

of the positions of Minister

(among them: Education, Fi-

nance, Justice Water, and Food

Security), and 45% of the Council

of Ministers (which includes Vice

Ministers) of the Cuban govern-

ment. The level of participation of

Cuban women in the courts and in

government far exceeds the rates

in the U.S.

The FMC has been very active in

the legislative arena over the

years. It was very influential in

the revision of the Family Code

(the domestic relations law),

which since 1975 has provided

equal property and social rights to

Cuban women in their home and

at divorce; paid maternity leave;

and more recently equal maternity

and paternity leave.

In our discussions, the leaders of

the FMC acknowledged that sex-

ist behavior still manifests social-

ly. Cuba has a history of more

than 500 years of patriarchal rule

and conduct, including hundreds

of years of slavery. FMC is wag-

ing a campaign against violence

against women and recently es-

tablished two national telephone

complaint lines, monitored by staff

Cuba’s Attorney General, that

women may use to report inci-

dents of violence or threatening

behavior if their local police are

not responsive. The FMC also

works to sensitize families and

employers to issues of gender

inequality in an effort to “undo” the

pervasive cultural baggage of

“machismo.”

As a member of a women’s or-

ganization devoted to obtaining

equal justice for women in New

York, I was struck by the remarka-

ble level of gender equality in Cu-

ban law and policy. Cuban wom-

en are secure in the exercise of

legal and political rights that we in

the United States still struggle for

access to free reproductive

health care, including contracep-

tion and abortion; free govern-

ment sponsored health care gen-

erally; universal free education

offered equally to girls and boys

through graduate school; and

food security. Women lead major

ministries of the government at

significant, and growing, rates.

The FMC should receive enor-

mous credit for these accomplish-

ments on behalf of women in Cu-

ba.

PAGE 14

While Cuba is emerging as a

tourist destination, it still has

problems providing enough

food to its people while cater-

ing to its rapidly increasing

number of visitors.

During our visit in October,

our group could see that food

was in short supply for many

Cubans. The government

provides a small monthly ra-

tion of the most basic nutri-

tional necessities, and some

food is available for purchase

in a nascent “free market”

economy.

As tourists, our meals were

ample. But in general, the

food was not the highlight of

the trip.

We started our tour in Va-

radero, a resort town about

two hours from Havana. The

hotel Melia had many options

for dining, including a 24

-

hour

café, but the food didn’t seem

authentically Cuban. It was

built to cater to large groups

and many of the meals were

served “cafeteria” style. The

Cuban coffee served in the

morning was excellent, as

were the omelets. Unfortu-

nately, other offerings, includ-

ing the pancakes, breads,

and meats, were mediocre.

On the other hand, we had a

wide array of options for din-

ner, some in beautiful settings

overlooking the ocean. It’s

hard to beat their outside bar

with a margarita or Cuban

beer in hand.

THE RESTAURANT

SCENE IN CUBA

By Sandra Schpoont