The Culture of Gender/the Gender of Culture: Cuban Women, Culture, and Change—the Island and the Diaspora

This Essay analyzes the role of the Cuban woman in society—both on the island as well as in the diaspora. The purpose of this Essay is to assess whether culture has changed among either (or both) Cuban women on the island after the revolution and those who have emigrated since then. The Essay develops this topic in three parts. The first part presents the role of women in society in general and specifically in Latina/o societies.

Following, the work addresses the history of Cuba, in order to weave in the record of women's movements and women's organizations on the island until 1959. As all Cuban women share this history, whether they live on the island or are part of the diaspora, this historical perspective will serve to inform readers of the changes based on gender roles. The third part of the Essay focuses on the contemporary status of Cuban women in order to evaluate if there have been any changes with respect to the gender of culture or the culture of gender. This Essay concludes that the cultural, gendered role of Cuban women has remained unchanged both on the island and in the diaspora.