Disclaimer: In no way does the author condone sexual tourism or sex with minors. This section is only intended to provide one aspect of life in Cuba.
If you are single and seeking companionship, Cuba just may be the place for you. Cuban women have a reputation for being well-educated and beautiful. They are famous for their shapely derriéres. Many writers have written about Cuban women and the aura of sensuality the island evokes. In Tom Miller's book Trading with the Enemy he goes into a long discourse about the attributes of Cuban women. "The feet of the Havana ladies are made for ornament and for dancing, though with a roundness of figures that leaves nothing to be desired. This is a striking and endearing charm about the Cuban ladies, their very motion being replete with a native grace; every limb elastic and supple."
There is no doubt about it, Cuba is a sexually permissive society. The Island exudes sensuality as reflected by its tropical music and dance. Seduction seems to be the national hobby of both sexes. Since consumerism doesn't exist here like in the rest of the world, sex has become a form of inexpensive recreation. The people seem to be less inhibited and puritanical than North Americans or Europeans. Brazil has very similar sexual mores.
Most Cuban women are industrious and have taken an active role in the workplace in recent years.
Like other Latin American women they tend to be more warm-hearted and eternally devoted than their North American counterparts. The women like foreign men, since Cuban men are usually too macho in their ways and unfaithful to their girl friends and wives.
Unfortunately, hard times have given birth to a revival of prostitution (called jineterismo) and a class of female gold diggers or jinteras that prey on foreign men. Many can be found hanging out in hotel lobbies, discotheques, and along the Malecón, on the prowl for foreigners.
This is not to say you can’t find sincere women and marriage in Cuba. However, there are some precautions you should take to ensure a women is really interested in you and not your wallet. You will save yourself a lot of grief and heartache in the long run. Beware of women you meet in bars, in discotheques, in the street or who seem overly assertive, forward and eager to get involved. Any women who is constantly trying to get you to buy her things or asking for money is not worthwhile. You will be smart to give any relationship time to develop and not be impulsive.
The key is finding a nice, traditional Latin women and avoiding getting involved with "bad girls." Cuba has plenty of working girls or jineteras. As mentioned, they hang out at popular tourist areas, bars and discos specifically to pick up guys. They also ride buses and go to stores. So, just because you have met a nice girl in a typical working girl hangout, doesn't mean you have met a quality person. If you know what to look for, they are easy to spot.
Many men have knowingly and unknowingly married bad women. Working girls are usually honest and will directly ask you for money. The hustlers are more dangerous because their agenda is to really "take you to the cleaners" and they do not rule out marrying you to achieve their objective. Some men have lost everything from airline tickets that are cashed instead of used, to large sums of money the girls claim they need for a variety of reason, and more. These are the women who contribute to the bad stories you may hear about Latin women. So falling in love with a bad girl will typically lead to a lot of heart ache and problems. Unfortunately, they are the easiest girls to meet in Latin America and many men fall into this trap.
Be assured that a very small number of these women will become good wives, find religion, etc. So in all fairness, one shouldn't condemn them, but rather caution men as to the problems they may encounter with these types of women. They are often women who have been sexually abused at a very young age so the problem is deeply rooted. So, your realistic chances of converting them are very slim; no matter how gorgeous the girl is, it is just not worth it.
The best way to spot a bad girl is by her profile. They never invite you to their home or introduce you to their friends or family. They do not want to leave any trail for you to track them down later.
They are quite aggressive and like to target older men. Some speak a little English and will start up a conversation with you or smile at you until you make the first move. They will appear to be friendly and sincerely interested in you. They are always attractive or very young. The best way to politely get rid of these women is to ask them to loan you a little money. You will immediately see their interest disappear.
A big misconception about Latin females is that they prefer older men. This seems to be the case in only about 30 percent of the women. Most Latin women meet a boy in high school and are only interested in guys their own age. However, about 30 percent do seriously prefer older men. I have met many people who are successfully married to women 10 to 25 years younger than them.
Nice Latin women from traditional family backgrounds are raised to take care of their men. They can be quite possessive and jealous at times. But this is only because they are very emotional and deeply in love with their men. They tend to seek out long term relationships, starting at a very young age.
When approached by strangers, they are friendly and helpful by nature; this is their culture. All Latins value making new friends. Americans and other foreigners often mistake this friendliness and think the woman has romantic interest in them. But actually, respectable women have no serious interest in dating a tourist, who they perceive as being in the country for a short time and primarily interested in sex.
In order for the woman to develop any romantic interest in you at all, they have to first know from a trusted third party that you are looking for a long-term relationship. After a brief encounter, a decent woman will never ask for your phone number. If you ask for her phone number, she will always give you the wrong number in order to avoid appearing rude. Nice girls live with their parents and would never want to have strange guys calling their houses. From a romantic interest point of view, quality Latin women are difficult to meet. They have no interest in casually dating many different guys.
If the woman is convinced you are seriously looking for a long-term relationship she will then start to show interest in getting to know you better.
Even if you do find your ideal mate, you should realize that there are many cultural differences which can lead to all sorts of problems down the road, especially if you don’t speak fluent Spanish.
However, marriages between Cubans and foreigners are legal. Marriage is one of the few requirements for travel from Cuba by Cuban citizens.
Many foreigners, especially Europeans, have married Cuban women. Due to the country's many economic hardships, most Cuban women will jump at the chance to marry a foreigner in order to improve their lifestyle. Unfortunately, marrying a Cuban woman and getting her out of the country is rather difficult at present.
Basically the process goes like this. First you have to your country's embassy or consulate in Cuba. Likewise, you need to go Cuba immigration to see what paperwork is involved there. This whole process will cost around $1500 or more and can take four months or longer to get everything in order.
Currently American citizens cannot not bring their spouse directly back to the U.S. since most Americans are prohibited from travelling there at the present time. However, there is a way to get around this snag. If an American is a resident of a third country like Mexico or Costa Rica, you can take your spouse to that third country and then apply for a visa to the states.
For more information about marriage in Cuba :
http://www.immigroup.com/news/american-cuban-marriage-cuba-guide
