Women in Cuba: The Making of a Revolution within the Revolution

by Vilma Espin, Asela de los Santos, Yolanda Ferrer

The social revolution that in 1959 brought down the bloody Batista dictatorship began in the streets of cities like Santiago de Cuba and the Rebel Army's liberated mountain zones of eastern Cuba. The unprecedented integration of women in the ranks and leadership of this struggle was a true measure of the revolutionary course it has followed to this day. Here, in firsthand accounts by women who helped make it, is the story of that revolution--and "the revolution within." Introduction by Mary-Alice Waters. Photo sections, maps, glossary, index. Also Available Spanish

Genres: History, Feminism, Politics, Nonfiction, Womens, Gender

346 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Vilma Lucila Espín Guillois (April 7, 1930 – June 18, 2007) was a Cuban revolutionary, feminist and chemical engineer. She was married to Raúl Castro, the current Cuban President, who is the brother to former Cuban President Fidel Castro. Espín had four children (Deborah - married to Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja -, Mariela, Nilsa and Alejandro Castro Espín) and seven grandchildren. Her daughter, Mariela Castro, currently heads the Cuban National Center for Sex Education, and her son, Alejandro Castro Espín, is a Colonel in the Ministry of Interior. Espín was often described as "Cuba's First Lady".

Reviews

[Jacob Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A meeting had been called for November 28, but I didn’t give it much importance. It was just one more meeting, I thought. But it turned out to be preparations of all the action groups for November 30. On the morning of the 29th, Frank told me the boat had left Mexico, so we were to have everything ready for the early morning hours of the 30th.

I had many things to do, including giving the action groups the addresses of the “medicine chests.” All the arrangements were last minute. Things were done in a big hurry, but the secret was tightly kept right up to the very moment of the action.

Everyone had been informed it was a trial run, a test. But at 6 a.m. we were all told, “This is not a drill. The boat has already left, and it should land today.” It was scheduled to arrive at 7 a.m., and that’s when all the events of November 30 began.

I was to stay home in order to give a tape we’d recorded the night before to a man who was going to play it on national radio through a telephone hookup. The tape reported Fidel’s arrival and called on the people to rise up in revolt.

But the tape was never broadcast, since the man who was supposed to do it was so scared he burned it… Well, there are always some who fail. But almost everything else was carried out exactly as planned."

– Vilma Espín, on the November 30 action

[Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the early years of the Cuban revolution, the women’s movement did not spring out inorganically, but rather as the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC). The Cuban revolution and the part the FMC took was a “Revolution in a revolution.” Women were central to the movement, crucial to leadership roles, and were working to overthrow the “double exploitation” and the patriarchal yoke they found themselves forced into.

In the midst of the revolution, women were not only messengers and educators, but full on leaders of underground actions particularly in Santiago, the 2nd, and 3rd fronts. The Granma landing was successful because of the efforts done in the urban underground.

The revolution carried and built by women, was repaid with efforts like; the Ana Betancourt School, that helped young peasant women attain literacy and skills, the night schools to assist former domestic servants of the bourgeoisie to get skills in work, and the building of child care centers for the newly liberated working women. The revolution and FMC created an atmosphere that lifted women out of both class and gendered oppression.

The impact of the FMC can not only be seen in the recently updated Family Code of Cuba, but also the earlier 1975 edition that called for unity and equality in care, education, and housework in the family. Affirming that moral standards for men and women were not different, and societal expectations were the same. This can also be seen in 2010, with 65 percent of the technical workforce working in Cuba were women. Thus, from the Cuban Revolution, women ceased being solely viewed as wives, mothers, and housekeepers, they were comrade-in-arms, educators, medics, leaders, organizers, and more. This was the true defeat of imperialism and the dismantling of the patriarchal choke in society.

This edited collection by Mary-Alice Waters highlights the exceptional work of 3 Cuban women; Asela de los Santos, Vilma Espín, and Yolanda Ferrer. Through interviews and accounts of the revolution and FMC we get first hand accounts of the impact women had and continue to have on the Cuban Revolution. It is also very well organized and flows chronologically. It is simply a great book about the Cuban Revolution.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is made up of interviews and articles written by Vilma Espin, Asela de los Santos, and Yolanda Ferrer, all leading figures at one time or another in the Cuban Federation of Women. The focus of the book is on the creation and first few decades of work of the federation, including many insights about work done by women during the lead up to the revolution -- the most gripping parts of the book. Sprinkled throughout are excerpts of speeches (mostly Fidel) that give context or otherwise support the present topic of discussion. There are a load of interesting photos as well.

I wish the book got into Marxist politics a little bit more, but it is a fine book to learn about women in the Revolution and the work, role, and origins of their federation in Cuba.

[Mike D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good interviews that give a new perspective to revolutionary Cuba.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A fascinating look into women’s rights in Cuba, “Women in Cuba” is a strongly recommended pick for any women’s studies collections.”—Midwest Book Review

“This well researched book would be of interest to anyone studying Cuban history, Latin American history, the history of the women’s liberation movement on a global scale and anyone who enjoys reading about history. Recommended for all libraries and bookstores.”—REFORMA, April 2012



"...American readers of Women in Cuba are escorted to the “prohibited” land of Cuba
without State Department permission or scrutiny. And thus they are given the freedom to arrive
at conclusions of their own regarding the island nation and its women."


Women in Cuba: The Making of a Revolution within the Revolution
Vilma Espin
Asela de los Santos
Yolanda Ferrer
Pathfinder Press
978-1-60488-036-6
(March 2012)
Modern history is replete with women’s participation in armed struggles and uprisings. As with
all histories, the fruits of their involvement are contingent upon the outcomes and the locations
in which the struggles took place. During the 1940s in Europe, for example, Italian women
partisans helped pave the way for their right to vote and to participate in politics, while the
Greek women of the resistance returned to the gender-stratified culture beyond which they had
briefly stepped. A little more than a decade later, in Cuba, what was achieved by and for women
during and after the Cuban Revolution was nothing less than remarkable.
Outlined in this book, via interviews with the authors, are the specifics of those changes
and the paths by which the accomplishments were attained. Espin and de los Santos played
prominent roles in the revolution; Ferrer joined the cause at age fourteen, shortly after the
revolution triumphed in 1959. The Cuba of the 1950s was run by the US-backed dictatorship of
Fulgencio Batista and was a land plagued by inequalities, illiteracy, and corruption,
compounded by sexism, racism, and extreme class divisions. The revolution and its ensuing
government fundamentally changed the structures of society and its institutions. These changes
included vast improvements in access to resources, education, healthcare, and sanitation; for
women the transformations had very gender-specific implications, as their participation in the
public sphere increased and their role in society improved.
Oddly, no discussion of women’s rights, in the broader context of human rights, is
included. Additionally, the occasional (bordering on comical) Cold War-era “lingo,” along with
an excess of photos of and quotes from Fidel Castro, are unnecessary distractions from the
overall substance and merits of this text. Despite these lapses, the writers have compiled a
genuinely intriguing piece of writing.
American readers of Women in Cuba are escorted to the “prohibited” land of Cuba
without State Department permission or scrutiny. And thus they are given the freedom to arrive
at conclusions of their own regarding the island nation and its women. A revealing examination
of the women of Cuba for travelers, as well as sociology, history, or women’s studies students
and teachers, the book is also published by Pathfinder Press in a Spanish edition as Las mujeres
en Cuba: haciendo una revolucion dentro de la revolution.
Elissa Mugianis —ForeWord Reviews, Summer 2012

[Marc Lichtman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised to find I hadn't yet written any review of this book--it's exceptional! Vilma Espín and two other leaders of the Federation of Cuban Women (in articles they wrote or in interviews done with Editor Mary-Alice Waters) explain the origins of the organization while they were still fighting against Batista. This was especially true in Raúl Castro's column, which Fidel had assigned to a mostly stationary position, and which was able to start to implement the social changes Fidel had called for in 'History Will Absolve Me.

Some middle-class feminists are shocked when they find out that the revolutionaries started by giving the peasant women sewing machines. But they're clueless to the condition of Cuban peasants at the time, and most likely clueless to the position of the working class in their own country at their own time. I think we can say it's a law of history that the people who claim to be the smartest aren't!

Learning to sew gave the women a skill, gave them self-confidence, and made them anxious to go see more of Cuba (and the World) now that they weren't wearing rags. Today I would say that Cuba has made greater strides in advancing the liberation of women than the US, with all its billions, has.

But read the book to find out more. Other books on the subject are Women and the Cuban Revolution: Speeches and Documents by Fidel Castro, Vilma Espin, and Others and Marianas in Combat: Teté Puebla & the Mariana Grajales Women's Platoon in Cuba's Revolutionary War, 1956-58.

[Dr. Libia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a historical account of the Cuban Revolution ( last one at time of this writing)
This book is written by three women who participated in the revolution. It is told from their viewpoint and experience. It is important to acknowledge that this book is about the revolution, how women were involved and how life for them changed after the revolution. It is also important to point out two things, this book is not about a feminist movement and feminism has historically and transnationally been involved in another social movement. Even in the
USA, the first wave of feminism was focused and part of the abolitionist movement.
Post Cuban revolution, women left the home, the book presents a utopia that women and men fleeing the island today,and in the past , challenge.
Was this really a feminist gain or an opportunity for rebels wanting to overthrow a government to appear to empower oppressed groups, and women ?

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Este libro bien investigado será de interés a cualquiera que estudia la historia cubana, historia latinoamericana, sobre el movimiento por la liberación de la mujer en escala global y todo aquel que disfrute leer sobre la historia. Recomendado para todas las bibliotecas y librerías. ”— REFORMA, Abril 2012 (Traducción)



“A fascinating look into women’s rights in Cuba, “Women in Cuba” is a strongly recommended pick for any women’s studies collections.”—Midwest Book Review

[Jack Solano · Rating 2 out of 5]

entertaining but completely uncritical