Feminine Creativity in the Face of Natural Disasters in Cuba

Feminine Creativity in the Face of Natural Disasters in Cuba

In their homes, Cuban women come up with strategies to minimise the danger and losses during natural disasters like hurricanes. Gender expert Isabel Moya says women have special talents in terms of organising and empowering their communities during extreme events.

“The strengths of women have helped transform traditional practices and dynamics, in environmental protection and risk management, for example,” Moya told IPS. She advocates the recognition not only of the double workday of women, their jobs and household responsibilities, but of a triple workday, which includes their work in the community.

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Because of the division of domestic labour, “giving shelter to other people is a burden carried by women,” Borigan said.

In a society that is still patriarchal, the weight of the home falls on the shoulders of women, who in 2011 represented 60 percent of university graduates and 63 percent of the technical staff employed in the public sector, according to the National Office on Statistics and Information.

For that reason, Moya suggests using the civil defence office’s public service announcements to show both men and women involved in disaster prevention and preparedness measures, in order to break with traditional stereotypes.

http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/08/feminine-creativity-in-the-face-of-natural-disasters-in-cuba/