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Mesa-Lago calculates that by 1967 unpaid labor represented
between 8 to 12% of the regular labor force. Recent immigrants talk
about being required to volunteer a large number of hours of free
labor to be eligible for raffles in which they have a chance to be
chosen to purchase an appliance such as a refrigerator or sewing
machine. Mesa-Lago (1972) concludes that although the use of unpaid
labor may have educational and sociological benefits, it may also have
a negative effect on production in several ways. Greatest of these
is the fact that it reduces work incentive and increases production
costs. Trends show an increase in the formal organization of unpaid
labor, along the lines of military organization, to maximize the
advantages of unpaid labor.
Changes in Female Roles
Prior to the Revolution, Cuban women were expected to exemplify
the traditional Hispanic virtues of "chastity, subservience, and
domesticity" (Black et al., 1976, p. 114). The new Cuban women are
expected to be the opposite: "... active in the work force and in
politics; expressive and open about their feelings, whether political
or personal; and aggressive in their defense of the Revolution"
(Black et al., 1976, p. 115). In addition to strong participation in
the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution, they have formed a
separate organization--the Federation of Cuban Womenthat has been
very important in raising women's consciousness, integrating them into
the work force and the political system, and achieving for them equal
rights with men. This organization has also been important in civil