Cuba - Women before the revolution had been granted the vote and had employment opportunities in many fields.
Cuba - The 1940 constitution of Cuba which had been disbanded by Batista provided commitments to gender equality.
Once in power, Castro continued the commitments of gender equality in Cuba.
Women were not regarded as equal to men according to Nazi ideology.
Hitler believed in distinct gender roles - with the emphasis for women on being home-makers and raising children.
Criticisms of the progress of women under Castro focus on the conservative nature of the reform, which placed traditional institutions such as marriage at the forefront.
Cuba - The lack of women in the National Congress for Cuba also suggested limited progress.
Machismo - is a word used to describe the patriarchal aspects of Cuban culture that cannot be eradicated with legal change.
Women were represented by the National Socialist Women's League which was subordinate to the Nazi Party.
Germany - Women's rights became increasingly restricted, including reduced access to higher education and employment. Women were not allowed to join the civil service.
Women had played an important role in the success of the 26 July Movement, helping to promote the movement during the Sierra Maestra campaign.
An example of a prominent activist was Celia Sanchez who worked with the guerrilla fighters by co-ordinating supplies of weapons and medical resources and aiding them during their time in the mountains.
Germany - Socially, women were encouraged to increase the birth rate.
Germany -Women were encouraged to have large families.
Germany - Abortion was made illegal. Women were encouraged to have a 'child for Hitler', even outside marriage which contradicted the initial aims of promoting the nuclear family as the place for raising children.
After the Cuban Revolution, Castro followed through on his commitments to make gender equality an important part of the new Cuba.
During WWII, the position of women changed given the need to support the war effort. Many women were required to carry out national service for one year.
National service included working on farms as part of the Land Year Programme.
After 1932, many women had to work in factories to support the war economy.
The slogan Kinder, Kuche, Kirche (children, kitchen, church) summarised the Nazis' priorities for women.
The Cuban Women's Federation (FMC) was set up in 1960, sought to encourage women into the workplace with a variety of incentives.
Incentives for Cuban women in the workforce included day-care centres where children could be left, promoting literacy campaigns, promoting health and hygiene as well as teaching useful skills to women.
An extreme policy carried out by the SS under the directive of Himmler was Lebensborn (spring of life) which sought to co-ordinate the increase in the birth of Aryans by choosing women to procreate with SS men, as well as arranging the adoption of orphans viewed to be racially pure.
By 1975, the FMC had over 4 million members.
Legally in Cuba, the 1975 Family Code was enacted to provide clear guidelines for the law concerning marriage, divorce and childcare. It sought more equality within marriage, for example, Article 25 states that 'Partners must live together, be loyal, considerate, respectful and mutually helpful to each other.
Vilma Espin, a prominent leader for women, helped to write the 1975 Family Code and was in charge of the FMC.
Conditions for poorer women in Cuba continued to be difficult.
