Question

Three ways by which unequal power relation could contribute to the spread of HIV and AIDS infections

Answer 1

According to United Nations, Women constitute more than half of all people living with HIV.1 AIDS-related illnesses remain the leading cause of death for women aged 30-49 and the third leading cause of death for women aged 15-29.

Gender inequalities, including gender-based and intimate partner violence, increase women and girls’ physiological vulnerability to HIV and block their access to HIV services. The power imbalance between genders also means that many young women are not able to make decisions about their own lives.

These inequalities are more severe for marginalised women, such as female sex workers, transgender women, women who inject drugs, migrant women and women with disabilities who are also at a heightened risk of discrimination and violence.

HIV disproportionately affects women and adolescent girls as a result of their unequal cultural, social and economic status in society. To put it simply, gender inequality must be addressed in order to end the global HIV epidemic, and attain other, broader development outcomes.

Answer 2

Sexual equality is when both biological sexes, regardless of gender, are in egalitarian state in terms of all the benefits opportunities in the society. It is very important because discrimination between the sexes and the creation of introjected gender roles had sprouted to societal issues such as discrimination, sexism and even the spread of HIV where a person believes that his/her sex is dominant over the other.