Cuba ought to protect its women after Obama/Castro Summit

Last week, history was made when Obama and Castro shook hands at an international summit in Panama. Following almost 60 years of diplomatic estrangement after the Cuban revolution and missile crisis of the Cold War, the US is reopening diplomatic, economic and migration relations with Cuba. This historic occasion will have huge repercussions for the citizens of Cuba given its geopolitical location in ‘America’s backyard.’ In a colonial hangover from the 20^th Century, the Carribean Islands are prime tourist destinations for many American tourists. One of Cuba’s main exports is tourism and if US citizens are allowed to travel there again it will undoubtedly become its most profitable export. Travel and tourism are explicitly gendered topics, as outlined in Cynthia Enloe’s (2014) chapter: Lady Travellers, Beauty Queens, Stewardesses, and Chamber Maids: The International Gendered Politics of Tourism. They are also truly international topics in an era of globalisation. To begin with, women travelling unaccompanied still inspires tension in some countries in the world, particularly with children. However, most specifically for Cuba, the industry of tourism is highly gendered and a place where private sphere gender roles are played out in the public sphere. For example, whilst waiters and valet drivers will be expected to be men, chambermaids are overwhelming female. In fact, the tourist industry itself is overwhelmingly dominated by women as many of the jobs are ‘women’s work’ but also relatively part-time and flexible. This is a result of the expectation that women will perform domestic tasks in the home and therefore also in the workplace. Whilst a cataclysmic invasion of American tourist companies and American tourists alike may advantage Cuban women as a result of an increase of ‘suitable’ employment there is always a large risk of both exploitation of women’s labour and perpetuation of domestic gender roles. Whilst tourism is often seen to be a prosperous development model, as with all development involving foreign direct investment, it comes with large risks of exploitation, repatriation of profits and mistreatment of workers. Women are always more at risk of these situations.

Similarly, there is absolutely a racially sexualised undertone to the tourist industry. Implicitly in roles such as airline stewardesses and explicitly through sex tourism. Women are in certain positions of tourist service are expected to look a certain way and their appearance’s are commodified and sexualised. This is overtly sexist and the employment of almost purely ‘beautiful’ women and ‘camp’ men by airlines for steward positions is obscene. Furthermore, there are deeply racist and mysognistic ideas attached to sex tourism. Should Cuba be open to American tourism it seems inevitable that we shall also see a rise in the sex industry for tourists in Cuba. Whilst I will not comment on whether or not sex work is good or bad for feminism, I will say that it is unregulated and often dangerous. Particularly, when some western men have preconceived ideals of what they can ‘do to’ foreign women compared to what they can ‘do with’ their wives. This is the virgin/whore dichotomy on an international level and is deeply racist in that it assumes foreign women to be more submissive and sexually adventurous/promiscuous under the male gaze. Whilst many other trade industries will likely be affected by reopening Cuban-US relations, tourism looks likely to be increased more than most. It is also more gendered than most industries. The Cuban government ought to be aware of this and protect women from exploitation and dangerous sex work conditions.