Redefining gender-based power to move beyond interpersonal approaches to HIV prevention

Drawing on the recent work of Teitelman et al, this article explores the notion of gender-based power imbalances in the production of HIV risk. It focuses on the need to extend an understanding of gender-based power beyond the interpersonal realm and as a broader social problem, defined collectively within public arenas. The public arenas model is used to explore how gender-based power is currently defined and how its definitions can be expanded. We consider how HIV prevention policy solutions need to extend beyond interpersonal definitions to incorporate conceptions of gender-based power that include how broader social inequalities and power imbalances influence condom negotiations.