accessing HIV prevention, treatment and care.

Gender-related barriers in access to services prevent women and men from accessing HIV prevention, treatment and care.

Women may face barriers due to their lack of access to and control over resources, child-care responsibilities, restricted mobility and limited decision-making power.

Socialization of men may mean that they will not seek HIV services due to a fear of stigma and discrimination, losing their jobs and of being perceived as "weak" or "unmanly".

Programmes can improve access to services for women and men by removing financial barriers in access to services, bringing services closer to the community, and addressing HIV-related stigma and discrimination, including in health care settings.

Women assume the major share of care-giving in the family, including for those living with and affected by HIV. This is often unpaid and is based on the assumption that women "naturally" fill this role.

Programmes can support women in their care-giving roles by offering community-based care and support, including by increasing men's involvement.

Lack of education and economic security affects millions of women and girls, whose literacy levels are generally lower than men and boys'.

Many women, especially those living with HIV, lose their homes, inheritance, possessions, livelihoods and even their children when their partners die. This forces many women to adopt survival strategies that increase their chances of contracting and spreading HIV. Educating girls makes them more equipped to make safer sexual decisions.

Programmes can promote economic opportunities for women (e.g. through microfinance and micro-credit, vocational and skills training and other income generation activities), protect and promote their inheritance rights, and expand efforts to keep girls in school.