For the greater part, this stalking of women by HIV and AIDS arises from society’s unjust allocation to them of an inferior status. Were it not for the unjust treatment and exploitation that women experience, the epidemic would not have its current worldwide grip. It would not have its current stranglehold on southern Africa. Fewer men would be infected. Fewer women would be infected, and because this would reduce the incidence of parent-to-child transmission, fewer children would be infected.

Michael J. Kelly SJ (2006)

It is now undeniable that HIV and AIDS is more than ever, a devastating attack on women, most notably on women in sub-Saharan Africa - the only region in the world where, according to UNAIDS, HIV rates are higher among women than men. Of the 23 million adults currently infected in sub-Saharan Africa, 57% are women with women aged between 15 and 24 years, three times more likely to become infected than men of a similar age. This increase in the number of women and girls becoming infected at ever younger ages is now referred to as the ‘feminisation of HIV and AIDS’. This reality is not simply devastating for the women affected; it impacts at a variety of fundamental levels on society in general with consequences for the future development and well-being of all.

In the initial stages of the spread of HIV, men appeared to be more infected. More recently though, it is women who have become more vulnerable, especially in countries where the primary transmission is through heterosexual intercourse. The negative impact of the virus for the lives of women is more severe than for men principally due to their subordinate status in society. In many sub-Saharan African countries, socio-cultural practices and traditions sustain women’s unequal status leaving them vulnerable to poverty, discrimination and violence – and ultimately to HIV infection.

The vulnerability of women can be highlighted at five fundamental levels: