Havana, October 15 (RHC)-- Cuba celebrates this Sunday the International Day of Rural Women with sustained progress in the implementation of state policies that defend gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The National Plan for the Advancement of Women expresses the Cuban government's will to equalize the opportunities for social benefit between men and women, which benefits both sexes.

between men and women, which benefits the latter who live in the country's rural areas.

Rural women have a large presence in the Cuban Parliament, the second country in the world with the highest female representation in national legislative bodies, with 55.7 percent of the seats.

According to data recently published by the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), women on the island represent 67 percent of the student population, 60 percent of university graduates, 71 percent of health professionals and 53 percent of artists and athletes.

These rights, which are currently only aspirations promoted by the United Nations (UN), are a reality, also in the highlands that favor equal opportunities and resources to participate in the social, cultural and economic life of our society.

A Human Development report published in 2022 in the Antillean nation, states that in terms of higher education, for every 100 people with university level in rural areas, 57 are female.

At that time, women represented just over 46 percent of the rural population, but only 26 percent of those who were economically active in those areas.

Several studies on rurality and gender in the country recognize the universality of Cuban social policies, which contributes to the development of rural women's capacities to become a strategic actor in food production.

On December 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly established October 15 as the International Day of Rural Women to recognize their contribution to rural and agricultural development and the eradication of poverty. (Source: Prensa Latina).