Once again, TikTok, Instagram, and other digital platforms have made their mark; videos and graphic posts circulating all over the internet promote the idea of traditional gender roles as the only alternative to a more peaceful and balanced society. We’re talking about those not-so-distant decades when a woman’s life was conceived solely within the domestic sphere.
This digital phenomenon, dubbed “tradwife” or “traditional wife,” can pose a threat to the feminist movement in several countries and regions, as it differs from the progressive and egalitarian thinking that the latter defends. The idea of women finding personal fulfillment only in marriage and child-rearing significantly reduces their own opportunities for the future, a particularly worrying issue considering the access thousands of girls and teenagers have to this type of content online.
Currently, women in several countries enjoy legally and constitutionally protected rights that allow them access to a complete education, employment in any field, economic autonomy, and sexual and reproductive freedom—all the fruit of centuries of struggle and protest. And, although many prejudices and negative behaviors still need to be eradicated, progress has been made, step by step, toward women’s dignity and well-being.
Certainly, remaining in the home and performing domestic work, which generally includes motherhood, does not represent a setback in women’s emancipation, provided that these are personal decisions based on knowledge, and not the result of social pressure. However, the discourse promoted these days on social media leans toward ultraconservative propaganda that undermines women’s freedom on a large scale, under the guise of selflessness and femininity.
This is not about belittling domestic work or so-called housewives, but about raising awareness among new generations about the need for equality between women and men, as well as the dangers associated with women’s economic dependence and lack of autonomy. In other words, becoming a traditional wife should not be a general imposition, but a conscious life project for those who choose it.
The debate on this issue has quickly taken hold on various social media platforms, with defenders of women’s rights on one side, and those who seek to revoke them on the other. The latter are mostly linked to political movements whose interests clash with women’s empowerment and activism, and who propose everything from women’s withdrawal from the workforce to the loss of their right to vote.
In this confrontation, could these ultraconservative ideas lead to a legal rollback of women’s rights?
In Cuba, women have a legal framework that protects them in many matters. The protection of all their rights and the fight for equality are a matter of political will. The Constitution of the Republic of Cuba itself reinforces their protection without exceptions or discrimination.
Likewise, by Presidential Decree 198 of March 2021, the National Program for the Advancement of Women (PAM) was adopted nationwide as the State’s agenda for developing policies in support of this cause, a process in which the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) also plays an important role.
Since the early years of the revolutionary triumph, women have occupied a special place, with initiatives that benefit them and recognize their contribution to society, such as the creation of the Children’s Circles in 1961 and the Women and Family Guidance Center, in addition to recurring educational and awareness campaigns.
Examples like this demonstrate that the empowerment of women is possible today, and that all these rights mentioned are not favors or entitlements, but rather part of what we consider inalienable and intrinsic to the human condition: human rights.
In the midst of this alarming situation, a glimmer of hope emerges: digital platforms, while echoing questionable ideas, can also be a tool for the just and ongoing struggle of women, an opportunity to make their perspectives visible in these times. When it comes to dignity and human rights, all action, even those of a digital nature, is insufficient.
