| GENDER AND
HIV/AIDS – WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
 The
term "gender" can be confusing. To most
people, "gender" is about women, but
in fact it relates to the experience of both men
and women, and as such, is a human issue: the
work that people do, the income they receive,
the roles they are given and the relationships
that they share are all shaped by social traditions
which treat men and women very differently. Gender
bias plays a major role in the rapid spread of
the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in the following ways:
The experience of women:
Gender-based inequality makes women vulnerable
in the following ways:
• Compliance and subservience = women
are less able to control how, when and where
sex takes place
• Economic dependence on men; women sell
sex in order to survive
• Women's sexual inexperience is prized
by male partners
• Alarming proportions of abuse/violence
(emotional, material, physical and sexual) leads
to increased risk of HIV/AIDS infection
• Support for a culture of silence and
stigma
• Burdened with caring for family members
who are ill
• Discrimination regarding access to treatment,
support and care
• Women are physiologically more vulnerable
to HIV infection
The experience of men:
Men, especially young boys, are also vulnerable,
in that:
- They conform to stereotyped versions of dominant
masculinity, which increases their risk of contracting
the virus and limits their ability to protect
themselves and others
- They are encouraged to gain sexual experience
and have many sexual partners so that they can
be popular
- Male sexuality is perceived as unrestrainable,
and their sexual pleasure is valued and emphasised
- Men are taught that they should control sexual
decisions and that they alone have the right
to enjoy greater freedom, power, control and
invincibility
- Lack of employment opportunities encourage
men to migrate, resulting in disruption of home
and family life, which isolates them; this leads
them into substance abuse and use of commercial
sex-workers
Gender-sensitive HIV awareness programmes
- Culturally sensitive, gender-relevant HIV
prevention interventions are limited, and those
that do exist tend to work only with women
- Many depict men as background figures e.g.
rapists and thugs who prey on women outside
the home, whereas women need skills in dealing
with abuse inside the home as well, e.g. how
to exercise their right to control the nature
and timing of sexual activity with their chosen
partners
- Funders should prioritise programmes acknowledging
women’s concerns and needs, while examining
how ideas about masculinity are constructed
and reproduced
Implications for the workplace
- A gender-sensitive orientation of policies
and programmes should be an explicit policy
from inception, with full involvement of all
stakeholders
- Training is an effective tool for making HIV/AIDS
programmes more gender-sensitive
- More research on using dialogue as a strategy
and tool for improving sexual communication
between both men AND women and for promoting
HIV risk reduction is needed
- Female condoms should be made available everywhere
and be affordable
Good governance re gender-sensitive HIV
programmes
- The implementation of ethical and legal,
human rights-based frameworks, particularly
those relating to gender issues, is crucial.
- The importance of transparency and the flow
of information to everybody, taking the social
context into consideration, cannot be overemphasised.
- There must be responsiveness and the provision
of easy access to affordable medical treatment,
rehabilitation and other forms of support for
People Living With HIV/AIDS
- Mediation between the interests of People
Living with HIV/AIDS and those who stigmatise
and discriminate against them, is needed.
- Responses to HIV/AIDS should provide long-term
solutions and be sustainable
The major challenge is to help reshape society’s
mindset, so that together we can confront and
conquer the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Submitted by Patricia Manele (formerly Gender
Programming Officer of the National Community
Radio Forum - NCRF)
Useful contacts:
Mrs Busayo Ige
Centre for Gender Studies
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041
Tel: (031) 260 1413
Email: Igeb@nu.ac.za
Mrs Sisana Majeke
School of Nursing
University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041
Tel: (031) 260 3317
Email: majekes3@nu.ac.za
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