ABSTRACT
The Cuban Communist party began its most important statement to date on the issue of women with the simplest of conclusions: "In practice," it said, "the full equality of women does not yet exist." Yet the very simplicity of that phrasing both masks and underlines the enormous complexity of the issue. With regard to the family, the continuum approach tells people that, for better or worse, the Revolution has had a fairly consistent attitude and has pursued a consistent policy. The sexual division of labor is the crucial underpinning to the systematic and serious underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in the major political institutions of the country, including not only the governmental structures and the party but also the youth organization of the party and even the leadership of the mass organizations. The underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in the political structures of Cuban society is given a concrete, explicit form in the economy.
