WHAT MAKES WOMEN MORE AT RISK OF HIV?

Being a woman in South Africa can be a blessing but mostly a curse, this is because of the dangers and issues that most women face in our society. Most women are even sceptical of leaving their homes in most cases based on fears of whether they will make it back home safely or not. Such facts are evident and show that women are more at risk of HIV – but why is that? What makes young women more vulnerable than young men?

Here are a few reasons:

Transactional sex

Based on what we see happening currently in our society, transactional sex has been the most popular option that women and men go for. Since it believed that love is no longer enough or even existent, most people prefer being in a relationship or having sex with someone simply based on material or economic gain. unemployed or living in poverty or even engaging in this out of choice might be the contributing factor.

A woman living in South Africa has a 40% chance of being raped in her lifetime and our country is one of the highest rates of rape in the world. This means that when rape occurs, it puts women more at risk because it’s very likely that the perpetrator doesn’t use a condom.

Biological factors

The physical differences between both genders make the transmission of HIV easier for women compared to men because, during sex, a woman’s genitals are more exposed than her partner (which also increases the risk of other infections). The vagina has a larger surface area that’s exposed to the virus and semen left in the vagina means a longer time of exposure to the virus for women.

Lack of Access to Information

We now see young women dropping out of school, which results in many of them not getting the information and education they strongly need. Healthcare access is something that young women tend to overlook, when dropping out of school, that automatically puts you in a position of not having necessary information about sex, health and other factors that might contribute in you living a longer and healthier life. 

Main Image: LaylaBird | Credit: Getty Images

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