Young South African women are three times more likely to be infected with HIV than men of a similar age
ONE OF the main barriers to significantly reducing new HIV infections and Aids deaths in sub-Saharan Africa is the negative attitude towards gender equality held by many men.
While the United Nations announcement last week that the number of new infections and deaths from the virus were falling globally for the first time was a welcome breakthrough, experts say the virus continues to affect women disproportionately due to their low status in the developing world.
According to the UN’s programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids), the virus has become the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age worldwide.
The combination of the female anatomy, which is more susceptible to contracting the virus than the male’s, and a broad base of gender inequalities, means young South African women are three times more likely to be infected with HIV than men of a similar age.
On a global scale, the UN has estimated that of the 5.5 million young people aged 15-24 living with HIV in developing countries in 2007, about 62 per cent were female.
In South Africa, considered at the heart of the HIV epidemic, it appears that some men’s negative attitude to gender equality regularly manifest themselves in the form of violence against women.
Last week, a medical study on violence against women released by South Africa’s Medical Research Council (MRC) revealed some startling findings about violence against women in a country where the culture of patriarchy is dominant.
Conducted in Gauteng, South Africa’s the most densely populated and cosmopolitan province, The War At Home survey showed that more than one in three men questioned admitted to rape, while three in four men said they had perpetrated violence against women.
In addition, researchers found that nearly nine out of 10 men believe a woman should obey her husband. And, surprisingly, the study also revealed that almost six out of 10 women agreed with this assertion.
Rachel Jewkes of the MRC said: “We see a situation where the use of violence is so widespread that not only is it seen as being legitimate, but I think quite often women forget it. They just see it as a normal effect.”
Nonhlanhla Mokwena, the executive director of the Gauteng-based People Opposing Women Abuse, believes the combination of women’s low socio-economic standing and men’s adherence to patriarchy has left females so vulnerable to HIV.
“Women from disadvantaged areas tend to be dominated by their partners due to the patriarchy that exists in their culture, so they accept a lot of bad behaviour from men. And because men control the finances, it is difficult for them to break away,” she said.
African culture has often been accused of being the main factor when it comes to trying to understand why large numbers of men have problems in accepting equality between the sexes as the norm.
However, independent gender, politics and culture analyst Nomboniso Gasa said that pointing to your culture as a way to justify your actions was misleading.
“I think that blaming culture to justify your actions is a conscious choice made by some men to not take responsibility. They do it to justify social behaviours that are unacceptable. They dress it in the ‘culture’ garb so it can’t be questioned – because if you do question, you are accused of emasculating men.
“But it is not only South African society. Globally there is a stereotype around women and sexuality – it’s just that African communities are more susceptible to it due to their socio-economic situation,” she explained.
One of the most effective ways to stop the spread of HIV is through the use of condoms, but the UN believes up to 70 per cent of women worldwide have been forced to have unprotected sex. Why is this the case, given the dangers of contracting HIV in this manner are widely known? Nomboniso Gasa believes the issue for men is about control.
“Because of their fear of losing control, for many men knowledge does not translate into behavioural change. The notion of sexuality is considered very private and it is an area in which they can assert their dominance, so they will not be dictated to,” she concluded.
However, Breda Gahan, a HIV/Aids specialist with Concern in Ireland, believes it would be disingenuous to suggest that all African men are the same when it comes to their views on gender equality issues.
“In many countries, men are engaging and endeavouring to try to change social and cultural norms to reduce sexually transmitted disease such as HIV.
“For instance, Concern Worldwide works with the Movement of Men Against AIDS in Kenya [MMAAK]. This group tries to involve men from all segments of life to actively participate in HIV prevention, care and support. And there are others as well,” she said.
MMAAK founder Michael Onyango had this to say about positive masculinity: “It is about men reaching out for help, however strong and courageous they may be. It is also about men not being threatened by the empowerment of women, but taking a lead in supporting their role in development.”