Essay on Women and Aids

A striking feature of the global AIDS epidemic is the increasing proportion of women and girls among people living with HIV. This is particularly evident in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America.

In Sub-Sahara Africa and the Caribbean, this percentage has always been on the higher side, reaching 57 per cent in the year 2004 in Sub-Sahara Africa.

The most affected are those in the youngest age group (15-24 years). It has also been observed that globally AIDS is affecting women most severely in places where heterosexual sex is a dominant mode of transmission of HIV.

The reasons for the greater vulnerability of women and the greater risks they face of acquiring the HIV infection are multiple, biological, social, cultural, economic and therefore lead to complex problems with no easy solutions.

Biologically, a women's anatomy provides a larger area exposed to HIV infection during sexual interaction. This puts her at a disadvantage and makes her vulnerable and at greater risk to HIV infection.

In addition, the Social and Cultural environment and its influences have a negative impact on women's position in relation lo AIDS.

In all male-dominated societies, the woman is usually considered to be the passive sexual partner with no sexual feelings of her own. She is expected to submit to her husband's desires, whenever he so desires.

Expression of any sexual feelings is considered "immodest" and she is socialized to believe right from childhood that her husband's happiness must be the centre of her existence.

In such a marital relationship, even if the wife knows that the husband had been sexually active before marriage and is unfaithful to her in marriage, social and cultural norms do not permit her to even request her husband, leave alone insist, on safe sex with the use of the condom.

In a country such as India, where female sterilization is quite common for achieving family limitation, the use of condoms for prevention of HIV infection is not understood nor is it acceptable with unfavourable implications for women.

Unequal power relations between man and woman are truly the fundamental reason for violence against women and exploitation of women, with serious implications.

Widespread ignorance about HIV and AIDS among women and inaccessibility and unavailability of health care services for women also contribute to their vulnerability to HIV infection.

As most women are not economically independent, they have no choice but to continue living a risky sexual life, even where they are fully aware of the consequences. Sex workers have no choice, as selling sex is their only way of earning a livelihood.

In rare cases such as Sonagachi in Kolkata, India, and Bangkok, in Thailand, sex workers have been able to organize themselves, so that their clients are required to use condoms for safe sex.

Implications of HIV and AIDS for women are quite serious. It has been found that women living with HIV face greater stigma and discrimination than men.

They are often driven out of their marital homes, denied maintenance and deprived of their marital homes, denied maintenance and deprived of their property rights.

It is the women in the households who are burdened with the responsibility of looking after family members living with HIV and are yet denied their own human rights.

The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS was launched by UNAIDS in early 2004 to highlight the effects of AIDS on women and girls and to stimulate effective action to reduce that impact.