In the course of the last centuries, despite the unfavorable situation for women in terms of studies and employment, we have found women who have contributed in many ways to scientific progress. But, the name of many of them is still unknown, and the search for their steps has sparked numerous investigations by science historians to remove these women who are not listed in the annals of the history of science.
The struggles of women's social movements impact on female relegation, opening spaces for action and multiplying the echoes of complaints about discrimination. Although an increase in women's labor participation is reported in the late 1990s, this increase does not significantly change the subordinate role of women.
Following the development of the human rights movement and democratization processes worldwide, it is essential to work from an approach that integrates the issue of equity and equality between women and men. "In none of the historical and cultural variations, in any society in the world, the general condition of women is equal to or superior to that of men" (Díaz, 2006). Thus, the female gender has been limited in its forms of participation and, in particular, in access to power.
Women are almost excluded from political life, in only 5 countries they occupy more than 3 percent of parliamentary seats and in 31 countries they occupy less than 5 percent, according to a report by (UNDP, 2003: 28).
Currently, gender perspective is used to refer to the female sex, that is, it is generally used to take into account the existence of women, the use of this perspective allows analyzing one of the many ways that culture uses to institutionalize the difference between men and women and to stage their confrontations. This medium also develops the dynamics of scientific-technological activity, specifically within the framework of the Varadero Hotel and Tourism School.
Según Colás (2007; p. 6) la investigación sobre género en educación tiene la tarea de identificar y transformar las prácticas institucionales y las actitudes que generan y legitiman comportamientos discriminatorios con el propósito de eliminar los sesgos sexistas que se filtran de diversas maneras en las dimensiones cognitivas, afectivas y actitudinales que conforman los procesos educativos.
An important step in the process of building gender equity is to demystify the fact that men are the ones who possess “scientific” knowledge and women the “practical” ones. Both types of knowledge must be shared, since empowerment processes (understood as the ability to act to change living conditions with the development of transformative and emancipatory potentialities (Díaz, 1999) need the appropriation of various instruments. This It is linked to the fight to guarantee women's access to scientific knowledge.
The science and gender link is increasingly becoming a topic of special interest. The increasing participation of women in science is appreciated, especially in modern and more developed societies. This constitutes a novel element due to its magnitude and one of the most revolutionary events of the 21st century.
The incorporation of the gender dimension to understand and analyze highly complex thematic axes such as the development of science and technology and its role in social development, seems to us of great importance taking into account the role played by women. through the entire history of scientific thought.
It is valid to point out that the differences by themselves do not cause inequality. But the fact that a social group assigns a value to these differences (men are worth more than women), causes this situation to change and inequalities occur in the development and well-being of women and men.
The inequality resulting from this social valuation prevents both genders from having equal access to opportunities for their personal and collective development. No person by herself has proposed to be in a position of superiority or inferiority, but her position in the gender hierarchy assigns her a place in one of these positions.
The gender theme has been approached from different points of view and conceptions. On the subject there is an extensive bibliography both referring to feminism and its problems, as well as its relations with education. There are numerous works that value the problem of women in the struggle for independence and social equality. Due to their content, they can be grouped into three main groups: those that focus their attention on historical and philosophical aspects, those that deal with epistemology and those that refer to pedagogical content.
From the pedagogical aspect, it is observed that women do not choose, in a majority way, to study scientific and technological disciplines. Therefore, aspects such as: the way science and technology are taught in schools, the content taught in these disciplines, the attitudes towards the students of those who teach them, etc. are analyzed. based on this analysis, to design proposals that contribute to reversing this situation and thus achieve a more balanced presence of men and women in these disciplines.
It is observed that the presence of women in institutions dedicated to scientific education or practice is very limited. Studies carried out on this phenomenon conclude that there is an unaccepted discrimination for which women are not as recognized for their professional quality as their male colleagues, unable to access higher hierarchical levels and being relegated to less noticeable jobs and more routine.
Studies and gender theory have revealed the contents of inequality. These contents are expressed and take different forms in all the spaces in which women and men are related.
In our society, despite the transformations that have taken place in the educational field, there are still manifest difficulties in the indicators of women's participation in research activity, which makes it possible to synthesize the literature related to the subject, which allows for a better understanding of the particularities that this problem has had in Cuba and therefore in the province of Matanzas.
It also provides primary knowledge for the study of women and their contribution to scientific and technological development at the Varadero School of Hospitality and Tourism, based on the role it plays within the framework of this center.
The word feminism appears for the first time in French literature in the first half of the 19th century in the works of Fourier, who understood that the degree of emancipation of women largely represented the degree of independence of the whole of society. Subsequently it is used to identify movements to demand women's rights.
The feminist trend arises as a result of the struggle for the emancipation of women for the equality of economic, political and sociocultural rights in both sexes.
Studies on Higher Education have underlined the strategic role of science and technology and the research-teaching link for the redefinition of university institutions and practices, overlooking basic considerations on gender issues (UNESCO, 1998).
Although formally in educational centers there is no discrimination due to legal equality (rights and obligations), in fact, in the personal life of female researchers, the double day of women jumps, since with many difficulties she manages to reconcile family life and professional life.
The scientific-investigative activity, which is linked to the main projects of the economic and social development of the country in the different branches of knowledge, is an important component of higher education in Cuba.
In the first congress of the PCC the educational policy of the country was approved, it established the two main functions of scientific research in universities, which in fact began to govern from the university reform approved in 1962, when it was stated that "She It is part of the learning process and has great value in vocational training, "and adds:" Research must also enable the active participation of teaching staff and students in solving problems of science and technology. ” (García and Benítez, 2000).
At the present time, the insertion of Cuban women in the entire development process of the country constitutes one of the largest and most successful social phenomena that occurred during all these years of Revolution.
In Cuba, it is evident that Cuban women, as in other countries, survive the “glass ceiling” as a level that women cannot exceed, which is reflected in the lowest rise, in academic categorization, in overcoming as well as access to decision-making positions in the scientific field. A mostly invisible gender inequality persists sustained by the foundation of naturalization (Fernández, 2009).
Women are often excluded, feel excluded, or exclude themselves from very complex or managerial activities that conspire against the time that they must employ in “domestic life” due to “cultural mandate”.
The growth trend of tourism has evidenced its robustness in defying the circumstantial threats of wars, natural disasters and other phenomena, with tourism being an established component of consumption in developed countries.
In Cuba tourism has been the protagonist of a peculiar history, in which Varadero has played an important role, as the main and most international tourist destination in the country.
A distinctive feature of the Cuban tourism sector is the high qualification and competence of the workers employed in tourist entities and facilities, which, at the end of 2007, represented more than 9% of the country's workforce (Website of the National Office of Statistics from Cuba), and whose number in Varadero at the end of 2007, amounted to 23 379.
For the training and continuous improvement of workers in the tourism sector in accordance with current international standards of quality, efficiency and with the values of the Cuban social model, the National Training System for Tourism (FORMATUR) has been created.
The Varadero Hotel and Tourism School (EHTV) is the largest of the 18 schools that the FORMATUR system manages at the country level, has more than 27 years of experience and is located in Varadero, the most important Tourist Pole in Cuba.
Exploring the limits of knowledge and building its continuity and evolution, that is, investigating, is one of the primary functions of work in educational centers not only to satisfy epistemic purposes, but also to support its educational functionality. Research work is a source of intellectual authority for the teacher. The exercise of specialized discussion confirms the mastery of a field of knowledge and maintains fresh, the capacity for argumentation and critical thinking that the teacher has to model before his students.
Research in educational institutions must maintain its vocation to search and generate new knowledge, but within a model that prioritizes the contribution to the solution of economic, social and spiritual problems.
In Cuba, the research process in the educational field is considered as an activity that favors its own improvement, which guarantees quality assurance of scientific and technological research work.
The establishment of a scientific policy within which are framed, among other aspects, a policy of research and organization of science, and the training of human resources, aimed at guaranteeing the mission outlined, is another objective to be developed.
Research is one of the primary functions of work in the tourism sector not only to satisfy epistemic purposes, but also to support its educational functionality. The research work is a source of intellectual authority for the professor, so it is necessary to do an analysis of this category to see their behavior at the Varadero School of Hospitality and Tourism.
The main lines of research carried out at EHTV are the following:
• The History of tourism in Cuba.
• Description of tourist spaces for management purposes.
• Hygiene and safety in food preparation and handling.
• Standards and service procedures.
• Analysis of occupational risks in the accommodation activity.
• Diagnosis, evaluation and development of tourist products.
• The accounting-financial sciences: epistemology and applicability.
• Study of labor competencies and managerial potential.
• Diagnostics and environmental strategies in MINTUR facilities.
• Marketing management studies.
• Blended Distance Education and its applicability in tourism. Employment methodologies and instrumentation.
• Diagnostic studies of image and communication in organizations.
• Advice and consulting to companies on various matters.
The percentage of participation of teachers in relation to the lines of research in different years, behaves unevenly. There is a slight increase in this activity in 2009 compared to 2008.
In the study carried out, it is observed that in 2008, of the total number of teachers, only 21.3% dedicated themselves to investigative activity, while in 2009 a slight increase in participation of 25.2% was observed. The percentage of female participation in research activities continues to be low, this result is similar to others obtained in research carried out both nationally and internationally.
Regarding the leadership of women in research lines, it can be seen that female participation is also lower in both years, although a slight increase is reflected in 2009, this is not significant. In 2008, only five women lead research lines, which represents 4.8% of the total and 5.8% in 2009.
Participation in scientific events is an important aspect for the researcher, it is a space where the results of research can be communicated, and it also allows the exchange and understanding of knowledge. As you can see, the female presence is lower in all the modalities and events developed.
The low participation may be due to the limited availability of time that the women have, and the excess of the teaching load.
Publications are an important element to consider in the research results. In the analysis carried out, it was observed that in both years the greatest number of publications was concentrated in the Hotel Management Department and that most of them responded to results of the master's thesis.
The fundamental objective of the investigative work carried out in the reference center has been in addition to developing work on topics prioritized and requested by MINTUR, according to the creation of the different national and territorial work groups, It also works in the elaboration and execution of projects on prevailing themes.
Research work on the lines and projects is taxed to the training of masters and specialists. It is observed that the direction of the projects by women is far below that of men. Only one woman runs a research project.
The participation of women in projects is much lower than that of men. In our opinion, in this situation, the biggest problem lies in gender prejudices that prevent equal participation of men and women in scientific activity, based on the difficult situation women face when reconciling professional life with the familiar one. An obstacle for women in these activities is the additional burden of time, generally the academic, administrative and management aspects of projects that focus on the person who runs the project, demanding time and availability, which are scarce for women, almost always additionally pressured by family responsibilities, as previously stated.
Among the different barriers that limit the participation of women in research, there is an interrelation, showing as a fundamental factor the difficulties in reconciling profession and family.
Another element that significantly influences the professional development of women is the lack of a social infrastructure, caused by the socio-economic situation that the country is going through, and which affects the time disposition of women, from the scarcity of service facilities, an element that reinforces the traditional role of women and limits it considerably, favoring that their participation in the investigative activity is not on equal terms with men.
A factor that also affects the lower performance of teachers in research activity at the institutional level is "computer availability". In this sense, in the institution there is no infrastructure that allows the availability of the necessary computer resources so that the teachers can make better use of time, depending on the development of the research.
In general, the unequal distribution of family responsibilities, the factors associated with the reproductive function, the multiplicity of female roles, the lack of domestic support services, as well as not taking into account the situation of women when evaluating their performance, are they translate into a doubling of the time and energy of women, which negatively affects their professional opportunities.
By way of conclusion we can say that:
The understanding of gender as a category of scientific analysis and of multiple dimensions, admits investigating the historical construction of social relations between women and men, based on the differences between the sexes, discovering asymmetries determined by inequalities, their structural, symbolic and individual components., as well as decoding its meaning. This allows changes to be made in the socio-symbolic imaginary and to transform relationships in daily life, in culture, in politics, in education.
The systematization of gender studies in Cuba did not begin until the 80s of the 20th century, basically characterized by the analysis of the condition of women in the family. All the information obtained in these studies on the situation of Cuban women shows that the solution to the problem of equal rights for women, although it has progressed significantly in the country, there are still observable differences between men and women. women, among which the situation of women in the scientific-technological field stands out.
The inclusion of the gender perspective in the construction of scientific knowledge, allows not only to recognize the contributions of women to scientific and technological development, but also raises the need to broaden their participation in different areas of knowledge and the identification of the difficulties of women to participate in certain areas of knowledge.
The research carried out, framed within the Social Studies of Science, Technology and Gender, enriches the study of women in the context of Cuban education, highlighting the contradictions that appear in this medium in relation to the existence of inequality of gender.
The results obtained from the application of the methods used in the research found that in the EHT in Varadero there are differences in the participation of the teachers in the research activity.
There are significant differences between men and women in terms of scientific production, an element that is reflected both in the number and in the type of publications.
There are significant differences in terms of: obtaining prizes, in the direction of projects and lines of research. The results obtained demonstrate a widening of gender gaps in the field of scientific and technological research.
The main barriers associated with the participation of women in the activity of science and technology in the institution under study reside in: personal, family and institutional barriers. The fundamental factor limiting women's participation in science and technology is related to difficulties in reconciling profession and family.
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