Sex and Revolution Women in Socialist Cuba

by Smith, Lois M.; Padula, Alfred

• ISBN13: 9780195094916
• ISBN10: 0195094913
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-01-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Cuban revolution attempted to make equality in every sphere the basic operating principle of society. Equality among the sexes, it postulated, would resolve the "woman issue" once and for all. Sex and Revolution: Women in Socialist Cuba is the first book-length examination of revolutionaryCuba's attempt to conceptualize, prioritize, and implement sexual equality, offering an assessment of the successes, failures, and dilemmas of that process. In the wake of the revolution, which crushed both Cuban capitalism and Catholic power, a host of redistributive policies helped make Cuba oneof the most egalitarian societies in the world. The history of the Cuban revolution provides rich detail regarding the interplay among gender, power, ideology, and culture. Certain revolutionary efforts to transform women's lives were extraordinarily successful, while others fell short ofexpectations. This book reviews the range of revolutionary strategies encompassed in structures, policies, and laws to address sexual inequality and difference. Ideal for courses in Latin American studies and women's studies, it offers insights into the implications of the way power is organized andmanaged, and analyzes the limitations of state policies in promoting and managing social and cultural transformations as significant as those regarding relations between the sexes.

Author Biography

Lois M. Smith is a National Science Foundation Fellow at the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas, Austin. Alfred Padula is Chair of the History Department at the University of Southern Maine.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	xiii
Introduction	3	(4)
Women in Prerevolutionary Cuba	7	(15)
The Struggle Against the Dictator 1952-1958	22	(11)
Making Social Revolution: The Federation of Cuban Women	33	(12)
The Federation of Cuban Women: Activism and Power	45	(12)
Women and the Health Revolution	57	(12)
Reproductive Health	69	(13)
Women and the Revolution in Education	82	(13)
The Campaign for Women's Employment, 1959-1980	95	(14)
Progress and Problems in Women's Employment, 1980-1992	109	(12)
Sexual Discrimination in the Workplace	121	(10)
Day Care and Other Services	131	(13)
Family and Revolution	144	(9)
Family Dynamics	153	(15)
Sexuality and Revolution	168	(21)
Conclusion	187	(2)
Notes	189	(38)
Bibliography	227	(10)
Index	237