Cuban Youth: Changing Attitudes Towards Sexual and Reproductive Health

Abstract

Cuba remains one of the few countries still governed by a communist party. Despite its socialist commitments, including to gender equality, these have not been fully achieved and norms concerning gender roles are often at variance with revolutionary values. Focusing on youth and particularly young women, this article draws on primary data collected in Cuba in 2018–19 to explore young people’s sexual and reproductive health decisions. The analysis highlights how despite the family planning services and educational opportunities made available to them, young women’s reproductive and sexual choices are often determined by men and by values that accord primacy to marriage and motherhood, as conservative values are increasingly gaining a foothold.