Havana, March 9 (RHC)--  With a significant presence in sectors of the economy and society, women in Cuba celebrated on Sunday their International Day.

Cuban women are paid the same as men for equal work. Women hold 53.22 percent of seats in the National Assembly. They make up 60.5 percent of higher education graduates and 67.2 percent of technicians and professionals.

Likewise, there are several women ministers in the cabinet, and Ines Maria Chapman stands out as a deputy prime minister. Women head key social sectors such as Education, Labor and Social Security, and Science.

In an interview with Granma newspaper, the Secretary-General of the Federation of Cuban Women Teresa Amarelle Boué acknowledged all the progress made and mentioned some challenges that lie ahead.

The FMC leader said the group is working to find incentives to contribute to the government's efforts to increase the birth rate.

Even though the island's aging population finds its causes beyond the low birth rate, the FMC is backing the government with its resources.

"We have created micro brigades in the communities to contribute to the construction of subsidized housing for women with three or more children who lack the necessary living conditions in 32 of the country's municipalities with the largest aging population," she added.

She also praised the importance of the initiative of the National Group for Prevention and Social Care, which has created a multidisciplinary group to comprehensively evaluate the issue of violence against women and make proposals to the Council of Ministers on the most appropriate mechanisms to mitigate this phenomenon.