Women comprise a large portion of HIV infections in the world due to several factors, “forces of inequality, social exclusion, and economic vulnerability” (Piot, 2001). Sub-Saharan African teenage girls are at greater risk of contracting HIV because of their vulnerability to infection due to the lack of maturity of their genital tracts; these girls have older men, which are more likely to be infected, as sex partners which also increase their risk for infection. Teenage girls in that part of the world have a 5 to 16 time higher infection rate than males of an equivalent age (Piot, 2001). The economic component cannot be ignored; the cost of treatment in certain communities decreases the amount of money that can be used to prevent further spread of the disease. Inequality is a contributing factor in the spread of HIV; in India a staggering 372 out of 400 women were married and 364 of those women had been completely monogamous with their husband but unfortunately 56 of them had HIV (Piot, 2001). One of the ways that have been found to help decrease the incidence of HIV is education; school gives girls the chance to learn about AIDS and also helps protect them from sexual harassment (Piot, 2001).
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Piot, P. (2001). A gendered epidemic. Journal of the American Medical
Women's Association, 56(3), 609-611.
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