Women often experience the impact of HIV more severely than men.
The effects of gender inequality leave women and girls more at risk of exposure to HIV. Less access to education and economic opportunity results in women being more dependent on men in their relationships, and many who have no means of support must resort to bartering or selling sex to support themselves and their children. Where women can’t own property and lack legal protections, their dependence within their families is even greater.
Women and girls are also at increased risk for HIV infection biologically. In unprotected heterosexual intercourse women are twice as likely as men to acquire HIV from an infected partner. Economic and social dependence on men often limits women's power to refuse sex or to negotiate the use of condoms.
The impact of the HIV epidemic falls more heavily on women, who assume the bulk of care giving when their male partners, children, and parents fall ill. Women with HIV and women whose partners die of AIDS often suffer discrimination and abandonment. In a study in India, almost 90% of the HIV-positive women interviewed were infected by their husbands, but they were often blamed for their husbands’ illnesses. In some contexts, their lower status in the family and community make it less likely that they have access to health care including antiretroviral treatment.
Girls are at even greater risk of exposure to HIV. Their age leaves them less able to reject sexual advances than adults. Girls are more likely to be taken out of school than boys, either to care for the family or because there is not enough money to support all the children’s education.
Women who are marginalized from society, such as sex workers and injecting drug users, are at greater risk of becoming infected with HIV. Moreover, the impact of HIV is more severe for them because they have even less access to community support systems.
Reducing the impact of HIV requires that the needs and issues of women be addressed globally, nationally, and on the community level. Reversing the underlying socioeconomic factors contributing to women’s HIV risk– gender inequality, poverty, lack of economic and educational opportunity, lack of legal and human rights protections – is critical for success.
Addressing women’s needs for HIV prevention, treatment and care is vital for curbing the epidemic.