SOCIAL FACTORS THAT MAKE SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN VULNERABLE TO HIV INFECTION
- 1 March 2002
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Health Care for Women International
- Vol. 23 (2), 163-172
- https://doi.org/10.1080/073993302753429031
Abstract
The degree to which women are able to control various aspects of their sexual lives is clearly a critical question for health promotion and the prevention of AIDS. It is evident that social factors such as the high rate of rape, the unfavourable economic position of women, and the inability to insist on condom usage make South African women unable to negotiate the timing of sex and the conditions under which it occurs. They are thus rendered powerless to protect themselves against HIV infection. Prevention campaigns often do not take into account the reality of the daily lives of South African women and the difficulties they face gaining control over their own sexual lives. The rampant spread of this disease can only be stemmed if the subordinate position of women is acknowledged and addressed.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Increasing HIV Prevalence in a Rural District of South Africa From 1992 Through 1995JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 1997
- Reducing the risk of HIV infection among South African sex workers: socioeconomic and gender barriers.American Journal of Public Health, 1995