HIV/AIDS and women: African and South African perspectives

Abstract

HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is a dynamic subject that has attracted ongoing research interest, support and services. Through a systematic literature review, using an African frame of reference, this article analyses the effect of the pandemic on women as a vulnerable group, critically reviews service provision and education and offers suggestions for future research. Two theoretical frameworks guide the analysis: the systems framework to highlight the inter-relationship of the multiple factors exacerbating women’s vulnerability to HIV and the social constructionist framework to appreciate how socially constructed realities shape (women’s) lives.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, African and South African women.