Contemporary Problems
Women Living With HIV/AIDS
HSM/210 Human Services in the United States
Delthea Taylor-Jones
March 10th, 2013

Over 300,000 women were infected with H.I.V. as of the year 2011. (www.apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.22300, 2013) Though a staggering statistic, these strong women are trying to pave a way of life into mainstream society. The vast majority of these women are someone’s mother, daughter, or sister that is focused on living a long normal life with an often deadly disease. Why are women the most infected with H.I.V. in any certain region that engulfed with the disease? Today nearly 60% of all adults living with HIV in the most affected regions are women. These statistics are astounding and as a country there needs to be an intense sense of urgency with this matter. In order to increase the response to the epidemic we need to make our response more effective, we need more women in decision-making, more access to information and services for sexual and reproductive health, and more focus on promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls. These women need to know that they are precious jewels of society and their knowledge and first-hand experience with the disease would prove to be vital in our fight to save thousands of lives of those future mothers of our earth. It has been said that every minute, another woman gets infected with H.I.V. and the infection rates in women ages 15-24 are twice as high as young men in the same age range. This statistic highlights the negative impact that H.I.V. has on women. Women need to be provided with better sex educational tools so they can be better informed. With increased information and better awareness, lives will definitely be saved from being infected with H.I.V. in the long run. With roughly 25 percent of people living with HIV infection in the United States being women, it can be hard for women to prevent HIV or to take care of themselves if they are infected with the disease. There are programs available that assist women with H.I.V. and these programs help them find homes and give them important information on treatment and provide them with condoms. The important factor to remember is that these women are given condoms to halt the spread of the disease. If women infected with H.I.V. are to lead as normal of a life as possible, then it is expected for them to be sexually active. Trying to take away that part of a woman is similar to taking away her livelihood. A woman who is living with H.I.V. is facing a ton of different problems, as opposed to a man who is living with the infection. Women face tough decisions as far as pregnancy and many other different vaginal infections which could compromise an already decimated immune system that is struggling with the H.I.V. infection. The tough decision to take a chance and bring a child in this world when the woman is already infected with the disease could prove to be a gut wrenching ordeal. No one would want to bring a child into this world, knowing that there is a chance that the child could live a life infected with H.I.V. Imagine the psychological effect that a conversation of child-bearing would have on a couple’s relationship. There will definitely be more problems than not. Women also have to be concerned with the insane criminals in society that feel they have to take sex from a woman, whenever and wherever they can. These rapists are sometimes infected with the disease and women are at risk of being raped on a daily basis, in this world we live in today. The average man doesn’t have to worry about getting sexually abused or raped the way it is a major concern for a woman. Improving gender equalities between the sexes will go a long way to help women with combating the disease. The lack of economic empowerment is rendering women more vulnerable to acquiring HIV through sexual transmission. Ultimately, improving women’s social and economic status and enhancing their decision making power reduces the risk of HIV infection. It is widely viewed that a woman of a higher social status will be more informed of the H.I.V. epidemic and therefore will make a more intelligent decision that could save her life. Empowerment is one of the keys to the lock of gender inequality in today’s society, and there will be plenty of informed and intelligent women leading the way to slow the rate of which H.I.V. is growing and allow women to live a healthier life.

References
Women’s Health, (2011) http://www.womenshealth.gov/hiv-aids/women-are-at-risk-of-hiv/index.html,
Who Is It (2013) http://www.apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.22300