Cuban women tell of great gains

A program on “Women and the Cuban Revolution Today” took place at John Jay College on March 7 with a large group eager to exchange feminist ideals with Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) representatives Maritzel González, Dora Carcaño and Ana Milagros Martínez, who traveled to the U.S. for the U.N. proceedings for International Women’s Day.

Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) members Maritzel González , Dora Carcaño and Ana Milagros Martínez, March 7, New York City. Photo: Roberto Mercado

When Clara Zetkin of the Socialist International first proposed that March 8 be declared International Women’s Day, it was to commemorate a march of thousands of women textile workers that took place in New York on that date exactly 100 years ago.

González commented on the important work of those in the U.S. to help people hear the truth about the Cuban Five and how they were combating terrorism. The Five—imprisoned in U.S. jails for 10 years—have been subjected to cruel punishment. Visas for their relatives to visit have been denied by the U.S. government.

She asked the audience to raise their voices so that Adriana Pérez and Olga Salanueva, the wives of Five members Gerardo Hernández and René González, respectively, can see their husbands.

She went on to say that, “With the February 24 elections to the National Assembly in Cuba, of the 614 delegates, women represented 43.16 percent of the Assembly. ... This places Cuba third in the world for women who are in parliaments. One can see what our government is doing for women to achieve their full development. A better world is possible where there will be no inequalities.”

Carcaño expressed how, “With these Cuban women in the Assembly, we are in solidarity with the women of the world. In the beginning a group of Marxist women celebrated March 8. We were trying to get laws passed demanding democracy. We were struggling for peace, but at that time we did not have consciousness. But then we founded the Federation of Cuban Women and in those early years we could speak about our aspirations. Within the organization we talked about how important we were. Now, Cuban women have embraced this holiday—International Women’s Day.

“This 43 percent we now have in the Assembly reflects all the work that came before and of the political commitment of the federal government and of the Communist Party, but we didn’t have this in the early part of the Revolution. Many people in this room have had an impact on our achievements with their interaction. Fidel has talked about the revolution within the Revolution; that women’s participation in the Revolution is like a second revolution. Only 12 percent of women were working when the Revolution triumphed, 49 percent work today. Women make up 67 percent of the technical workforce, and 52 percent of the 40,000 Cuban doctors in the world are women. In the 1960s there were only 3,000 doctors in Cuba, and most left for the U.S. And today 39 percent of government jobs are held by women.”

Carcaño said, “But we do have to remember, all these actions we took alongside men. One of the most important roles of women was during the Special Period (1990-1996). Women had to be very creative and learn how to do more with less. During that terrible time children still went to school in their uniforms and stoves in the homes still had to be lit up with difficulty. Because of these things, because women have created a place in the Revolution, we can be very proud this March 8th.”

The discussion included questions for the FMC women about Cuba’s educational system, rights for homosexuals, maternity leave and much more.

Send postcards or letters to Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C St., Washington, DC 20520, requesting that she immediately grant visiting rights to the two wives whose husbands are part of the Cuban Five.

The writer is with Cuban Solidarity New York (CSNY) and the New York Committee to Free the Cuban Five.