COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES REGARDING GENDER EQUALITY. A CASE STUDY IN CUBA

Abstract

The objectives of this article are to describe the communication strategies developed on the subject of gender equality and to analyze the results of their implementation within the student community at the institutional level in Cuban higher education; specifically, the case of the Faculty of Design (Higher Institute of Design) of the University of Havana, Cuba, is analyzed. The methodology used for this research is the case study, and the techniques of document analysis and expert interview have been applied. The results display that students were sensitized to the issue of gender equality. Debate workshops were held on the topic, as well as activities inside and outside the institute in order to generate products of design to promote the topic of gender equality. The different manifestations of gender violence and how to confront them were made visible. The potential of visual communication as a strategy to promote gender equality was recognized, as a wide range of design results addressing the topic were achieved, which were socialized by the students with the rest of their colleagues through workshops created for this purpose. The designs generated became the coursework for several of the subjects included in the students curriculum. From this point on, the students participation became much more feasible, as their design and photography work for the project also contributed to their coursework. In addition, the optional subject Gender and Design was organized, where students were able to acquire the essential theoretical elements on the relationship between gender theory and industrial design, in order to develop the necessary skills to unlearn gender stereotypes that influence the creation of their products and incorporate new creative visions in the professional activity of design as an important element of communication.