HIV/AIDS: South African women at risk

A previous version of this paper was presented at the AIDS in Context Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 4-7 April 2001 This paper engages some aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the complexities associated with it. It outlines the socio-epidemiological patterns of the epidemic and in doing so identifies the groups with the greatest and fastest growing rates of infection. The pattern of the epidemic in South Africa is as follows: it is primarily a heterosexual one, the rates of infection in the general population are very high, and the percentage of HIV positive women is greater than men. An additional feature is the young age of onset of infection for women. These data demonstrate the need to focus our attention on young African women and the factors underpinning their predicament. In order to shed light on the position of women in the epidemic and the particular risks they face, we examine the long-standing relationship between gender and racial inequalities and health. Within the constraints of limited and flawed statistical data, the paper argues that a complex interaction of material, social, cultural and behavioural factors shape the nature, process and outcome of the epidemic in South Africa. It concludes with recommendations for the way forward.