Abstract
The links between gender roles, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS risk are complex and culturally specific. In this qualitative study we investigated how women and men in two black communities in the Western Cape, South Africa, constructed their gender identities and roles, how they understood gender-based violence, and what they believed about the links between gender relations and HIV risk. First we conducted 16 key informant interviews with members of relevant stakeholder organisations.Then we held eight focus group discussions with community members in single-sex groups. Key findings included the perception that although traditional gender roles were still very much in evidence, shifts in power between men and women were occurring. Also, genderbased violence was regarded as a major problem throughout communities, and was seen to be fuelled by unemployment, poverty and alcohol abuse. HIV/AIDS was regarded as particularly a problem of African communities, with strong themes of stigma, discrimination, and especially ‘othering’ evident. Developing effective HIV/AIDS interventions in these communities will require tackling the overlapping as well as divergent constructions of gender, gender violence and HIV which emerged in the study.
Highlights
The links between gender roles, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS risk are complex and culturally specific
In a study conducted by Dunkle, Jewkes, Brown, Gray, McIntyre & Harlow, (2004b) in antenatal clinics in South Africa, findings revealed that women with violent or controlling male partners were at increased risk of HIV infection
We present the key findings within three of the four areas covered in the interviews and focus groups: gender relations, gender-based violence (GBV), and HIV/AIDS; and raise some implications for intervention development with men
Summary
The links between gender roles, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS risk are complex and culturally specific In this qualitative study we investigated how women and men in two black communities in the Western Cape, South Africa, constructed their gender identities and roles, how they understood gender-based violence, and what they believed about the links between gender relations and HIV risk. Nous avons examiné: comment des hommes et des femmes ont construit des identités et les rôles de genre dans deux communautés noires du Cap de l’Ouest, en Afrique du Sud, comment ont-ils compris la violence contre les femmes et ce qu’ils croyaient des liens entre les relations de sexes et le risque du VIH. A study conducted with men and women at an STI clinic in Cape Town revealed that women’s risk of STI/HIV was the product of partner characteristics and male-dominated relationships (Kalichman, Simbayi, Kaufman, Cain, Cherry, Jooste, et al, 2005)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
