Federation of the Cuban Women
Federación de Mujeres Cubanas (FMC)
Logo of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC).
THE FEDERATION of Cuban Women (Federación de Mujeres Cubanas - FMC), founded on 23 August 1960, has a membership of 4.1 million members consisting of 86.7% of all women ages 14 and older. Its fundamental objective is achieving full equality of possibilities and opportunities among women and men. It is a voluntary non-governmental organization and self-financing through membership dues. It has an advisory role in all Cuban affairs relating to women guaranteed by the constitution.

Its structure is based on over 76,000 grass roots chapters linked upwards to the national executive through municipal and provincial organizations. Since its foundation to present Vilma Espín has served as its president.

FMC founder Vilma Espín Guillois, 1958.
FMC founder Vilma Espín Guillois, 1958.
Today Cuban women are involved in all the aspects of national life, and their presence in education and health care has been decisive. Nor can one speak of the island's scientific and technical development without mentioning the significant role that women have played and that that FMC has helped advance through promotion of female equality and leadership.

The FMC works for the full integration of women into the economic, political, social and cultural life of the country and has maintained a systematic work for the elimination of the obstacles and stereotypes that still exist in the family and society.

FMC rally in support of Elian Gonzales.
FMC organized for the return of Elián Gonzáles to his father in Cuba in 2000. Child assistance is an FMC focus.
The FMC is very active internationally and maintains working relations and cooperation with numerous women's organizations all over the planet. It is a member of the International Democratic Federation of Women, and holds Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The FMC denounces the unjust inequalities that millions of women all over the world suffer – their most elemental rights, as victims of economic violence, labor and social discrimination, and marginalization. The FMC rejects neoliberal globalization policies that result in extreme hardships for females, the some 70% of the more than four billion poor people of the world. They identify this as the "feminization of poverty." Similarly the FMC is a strong advocate of global peace, disarmament and development with dignity.

Cuban women's accomplishments by the numbers.
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Objectives of the FMC

Defend the Cuban Revolution that has made and makes women's achievements possible.

Fight for the full incorporation, participation and promotion of women in the economic, political, social and cultural life in Cuba based on equal rights and opportunities.

Strengthen the ideological and political work and form ethical and moral values in children, the family, in schools and society.

Intensify the development of non-sexist education at all levels of society.

Spread the gender perspective in all spheres of Cuban society as a means for analysis and planning economic and social projects.

Carry out a strategy for the promotion of women to management levels, including decision-making positions.

Direct the National Commission for preventing violence to women.

Encourage the participation of women in economic programs.

Carry out social research with the aim of diagnosing and finding solutions for the problems of women, in liaison with the appropriate institutions.

Establish and maintain links with women's organizations and institutions all over the world.

Participate actively in the international organizations and bodies devoted to women's issues.

Main activities of the FMC

Billboard for March 2009 FMC Congress.
Billboard for March 2009 FMC Congress commemorates it founder, Vilma Espín Guillois. Message reads: "United for the Homeland."
Develop wide ranging community work programs aimed at promoting education, health, non-sexist education of boys and girls, as well as the awareness of women's rights, their place in society and within the family. The FMC has 78,142 social workers and 77,317 health promoters who work voluntarily in the communities.

Carry out a permanent educational activity through 176 Orientation Houses for Women and Families that have more than 10,700 female and male professional specialists.

Promote and involvement in joint plans with the Ministries of Labor and Social Security, Education, Agriculture, Sugar Production, Public Health, Science, Technology and Environment, the Cuban Institute of Radio and TV, the national labor federation (CTC).

In the more than 175 Orientation Houses for Women and Families operated by the FMC, thousands of women are provided free education through training activities, and actions aimed at the empowerment of women increased numbers in all the spheres of the Cuban social project.

FMC Women's Training Centers provide leadership skills development of Cuban girls and young women from other countries. The FMC's magazine is Mujer, and the organization operates the Women's Publishing House at the national level.

Goals of the FMC following its 8th Congress held in March 2009

Logo for March 2009 FMC Congress
The Congress had over 900 delegates from every region of the island reflecting all occupations.

It concluded that stereotypes, prejudice, judgmental behavior and sexist traditions rooted in the patriarchal culture in Cuba are modified in a complex process of rethinking the impact that the political will, legislation, media, school, family The subjectivity of the individual, the society as a whole.

Much work remains to be done despite the gains of the last 50 years. The following challenges were identified:

Greater recognition of discrimination against women and its insidious forms of expression.

Policies to promote the National Action Plan for Follow-up to Beijing Women's Conference of 1997.

Include gender perspective in social research as an indispensable category of analysis.

Continue women's leadership training at all levels of education.

Strengthen advocacy work with the media and other socializing institutions on women's issues.

Break the glass ceiling preventing women's access to decision-making.

Enhance studies of masculinities.

Approval of the proposed reforms to the Family Code which legitimize the family courts, and also cover:

Democratization of relations between men and women in the family.

Eliminating homophobia and legalization of unions between same
sex couples.

Improved treatment of issues related to gender violence.