Women and HIV disease: an emerging social crisis

Women are the fastest growing category of people with AIDS in the United States, yet this fact has been consistently ignored in the social work literature. Social workers' expertise is needed to curtail the escalating social crisis of women with HIV disease. This article addresses the major social issues faced by women with HIV disease and explores gender differences in HIV transmission, disease progression, and diagnosis. The author discusses the ways in which women's sexuality and reproductive rights are affected. Specific issues are examined regarding HIV-infected women who use intravenous drugs, women of color, prostitutes, and lesbian and bisexual women. The implications for the social work profession are discussed, and social workers in the AIDS arena and all concerned about HIV-infected women are urged to address this problem on an individual as well as a community level.