ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the encyclopedia of Third World women, it is pertinent to ask whether Cuba is a Third World country. The first Cuban feminists were the mambisas. These women, wives and mothers, redefined womanhood by leaving the safety of their homes to join in the fight for Cuban independence from Spain. The property rights for which the mambisas fought became law in 1917, when a bill was enacted granting married women the right to administer their dowries and their property. Grau San Martin's 1934 decree, Law 589, was the precursor of some of the 1940 constitution's equality provisions. Finally, women had constitutionally dictated equal rights to being elected to public office. The Cuban revolution was founded on the concept of egalitarianism. Women's health figures also are impressive. As with education, all health care is free in Cuba, including contraception and abortions, which are available on request and performed in government hospitals.
