FMC, working tirelessly for Cuban women

August 23, marks a new anniversary for an organization that, since its creation one year after the revolutionary triumph of January 1959, has promoted a radical change in the lives of all Cuban women.

For more than six decades, the Federation of Cuban Women has defended the rights of this important sector of the population and worked for their full reintegration into society.

Discriminated against in all spheres of life, Cuban women worked mainly as domestic servants and in the fields, deprived of any kind of social security. Many even resorted to prostitution.

In January 1959, however, the panorama began to change, and the FMC would play an essential role in this transformation. The historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, would point out: "Cuban women, doubly humiliated and marginalized by semi-colonial society, needed this organization of their own, which would represent their specific interests and work to achieve their fullest participation in the economic, political and social life of the Revolution.

Under the leadership of its founder and president, Vilma Espín, the organization began to travel a difficult road, which required a change of mentality and the unification of efforts and wills.

Vilma brought her great human sensitivity, tenacity and commitment to the FMC, where she worked tirelessly for gender equality, non-violence and for all families.

It is thanks to her work that we have the Casas de Atención a la Mujer y la Familia, a space for reflection, counseling and attention to the concerns of all members of the household on various issues.

These centers also offer workshops and training courses for the betterment not only of women, but of all members of society.

Throughout these years, the organization has also provided crucial support to various tasks of the revolution, such as the literacy campaign, vaccination programs, and the strategy of care for children and adolescents.

And more recently, during the COVID 19 pandemic, the federations were an essential force in the fight against the virus in communities, isolation centers and health institutions.

Since its triumph, the Cuban Revolution has made the dignity of women one of its priorities, and although there is still a long way to go, today this sector of the population occupies an essential place in the economic, political and social life of Cuba.