ICTs and Women’s Empowerment in Cuba

Women's entrepreneurs in Cuba seek to take advantage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for their labor insertion and the flourishing of businesses, without ignoring the existing gender gaps in the country.

With an economic activity rate close to 55 percent, Cuban women represent 45.8 percent of the labor force in the state economic sector and only 24.3 percent in the non-state sector, according to official statistics.

Four of every 10 self-employment license holders are women, as well as 24 percent of the members of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and 28 percent of the members of non-agricultural cooperatives, according to statistics from the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

In the ICT business sphere, women account for 28 percent of the technical and specialized positions and 25 percent of the personnel involved in the Artificial Intelligence strategy, the Union of Computer Scientists of Cuba reported.

However, in the private sector, the gaps widen, as women account for only two percent of those who manage more than 100 technology MSMEs created in the country, according to the IT organization.