Havana, Aug 23 (Prensa Latina) The presence of Cuban women is decisive in the economic and social development of the country, where their participation in the field of science is essential today, according to authorities.
Among the achievements to be exhibited when the 62nd anniversary of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) is celebrated this August 23, are those obtained by its relevant publications and invention patents.
In Cuba, 42 percent of those who carry out research are women -between head and assistants-, and they are the vast majority in terms of categories of specialization in advanced technology.
They also represent 69.6 percent of the public health sector, 53.5 percent of the Science, Innovation and Technology system, and 48 percent of the scientific universe of the archipelago.
According to data from the Academy of Sciences, of the 10 Cuban inventions that received the Gold Medal from the World Intellectual Property Organization, six of them are main authors.
Regarding the composition of said institution, until last year 34 percent of the membership was made up of women, which makes it the academic entity with the greatest female representation in the world.
Data from the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment show that, of a total of 89 thousand 214 people dedicated to activities in this sector at the national level, 53 percent are women, and of the seven thousand 750 categorized researchers, 68 percent one hundred represent them.
Another example is the Cuban researcher María Guadalupe Guzmán who received the L’Oréal-Unesco International Prize «Women and Science», a recognition that exalts the world prestige of the island’s scientific work.
Laureate for her pioneering work on dengue, the director of the Center for Research, Diagnosis and Reference of the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine was awarded among 45 eminent women of science from 37 countries.
She was awarded for research that allows a better understanding and treatment of dengue, a disease that affects between 50 and 100 million people each year, mainly in intertropical areas.
The prestigious award, given for the first time to a female scientist from the Caribbean region, is accepted in Cuba as a recognition of the leading role of women in science, and in general her empowerment in society.
"An Island on a Continent" 