Rethinking Gender, Heterosexual Men, and Women's Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2010 Jan 16

PMID 20075321

Citations 155

Authors

Jenny A Higgins

Susie Hoffman

Shari L Dworkin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Most HIV prevention literature portrays women as especially vulnerable to HIV infection because of biological susceptibility and men's sexual power and privilege. Conversely, heterosexual men are perceived as active transmitters of HIV but not active agents in prevention. Although the women's vulnerability paradigm was a radical revision of earlier views of women in the epidemic, mounting challenges undermine its current usefulness. We review the etiology and successes of the paradigm as well as its accruing limitations. We also call for an expanded model that acknowledges biology, gender inequality, and gendered power relations but also directly examines social structure, gender, and HIV risk for heterosexual women and men.

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