Feminization of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic: Analysis of Programs and Policies that Result in Gender-biased Outcomes

Over the past years, the number of women infected with HIV has increased in every region of the world, with rates rising particularly rapidly in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This growing feminization of the pandemic not only reflects women's greater physiological vulnerability to infection, but also their social vulnerability created by economic, socio-cultural and political factors. This trend stresses the need for policies that avoid preventive programs that result in a greater gender imbalance in spite of an overall lower prevalence. A clear understanding of the real impact of AIDS campaigns is essential to formulating appropriate policies. This project uses a theory-based evaluation of the impact of gender-specific approaches on women's health taking into account epidemiological factors and cultural issues. It is analyzed whether these approaches result in: wider gaps between men and women prevalences; further stigmatization and discrimination toward women; and reduced resource allocation in the face of lack of political will. Specific cases are analyzed such as using full male circumcision coverage as a prevention program. The project finalizes by providing a set of steps required to obtain more equitable results when implementing gender-specific approaches to HIV/AIDS programming; these are: identification of appropriate interventions that address specific female and male vulnerability and risk factors; designing and implementation of operations that take gender-based risk and vulnerability into account; complement of any prevention strategy based on medical intervention with risk behavior modification programs; and on-going monitoring for the emergence of greater gender imbalances created by such approaches.