4 October 2018

Adolescent girls and young women in South Africa are more susceptible to contracting HIV than their male counterparts. This article takes a gendered look at the HIV epidemic in South Africa and the challenges adolescent girls and young women face which contribute to their high rate of new infections. It is important to recognize that that patriarchy and traditional male norms create a gender inequity which informs these statistics.

The South African context can also be understood as one with high incidents of sexual and gender-based violence, widespread poverty and unemployment. Other causes include misinformation about risks and risk behaviours, a perception of low risk among youth, reduced condom use and education. It’s not always easy for young women to negotiate the use of a condom, especially when in relationships with older men who support them materially.

Read the full article online here.