Gender inequalities and HIV

According to the latest (2008) WHO and UNAIDS global estimates, women comprise 50% of people living with HIV.

In sub-Saharan Africa, women constitute 60% of people living with HIV. In other regions, men having sex with men (MSM), injecting drug users (IDU), sex workers and their clients are among those most-at-risk for HIV, but the proportion of women living with HIV has been increasing in the last 10 years.

This includes married or regular partners of clients of commercial sex, IDU and MSM, as well as female sex workers and injecting drug users.

Gender inequalities are a key driver of the epidemic in several ways:

Aiming for two Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)

HIV/AIDS programmes that promote and invest in gender equality contribute to both MDG 6 on combating HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria and to MDG 3 on promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.

• UN system's work on MDGs

Gender norms related to masculinity can encourage men to have more sexual partners and older men to have sexual relations with much younger women.

In some settings, this contributes to higher infection rates among young women (15-24 years) compared to young men.

Norms related to masculinity, i.e. homophobia, stigmatizes men having sex with men, and makes them and their partners vulnerable to HIV.

Norms related to femininity can prevent women – especially young women – from accessing HIV information and services. Only 38% of young women have accurate, comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS according to the 2008 UNAIDS global figures.

HIV/AIDS programmes can address harmful gender norms and stereotypes including by working with men and boys to change norms related to fatherhood, sexual responsibility, decision-making and violence, and by providing comprehensive, age-appropriate HIV/AIDS education for young people that addresses gender norms.

Violence against women (physical, sexual and emotional), which is experienced by 10 to 60% of women (ages 15-49 years) worldwide, increases their vulnerability to HIV.

Forced sex can contribute to HIV transmission due to tears and lacerations resulting from the use of force.

Women who fear or experience violence lack the power to ask their partners to use condoms or refuse unprotected sex. Fear of violence can prevent women from learning and/or sharing their HIV status and accessing treatment.

Programmes can address violence against women by offering safer sex negotiation and life skills training, helping women who fear or experience violence to safely disclose their HIV status, providing comprehensive medico-legal services to victims of sexual violence, and working with countries to develop, strengthen and enforce laws that eliminate violence against women.