Since the early 1990s, the rate of new HIV infections has declined among
men who have sex with men and among injection drug users. This is good
news. But in contrast, infections arising from heterosexual contact have
risen steadily, from 13% in 1993 to 43.8% in 2003. And the greatest increase
in new infections has been among young women, aged 15 to 29. At present,
heterosexual transmission accounts for nearly 75% of all new infections
in women.
Physiological differences between females and males - sex - place women
at greater risk of infection. Delicate tissues in the female reproductive
tract and concentrations of the virus in semen make it easier for infected
males to transmit the disease to their female sexual partners than vice
versa.
But social roles and cultural expectations - gender - are critical factors
in women's heightened vulnerability to HIV infection. Because women often
have less power - social, economic, political - than men in our society,
it can be difficult or even impossible for many to refuse sex or negotiate
safer sex.
Gender roles and stereotypes also hinder women's ability to manage HIV
and AIDS-related infections. Women diagnosed with HIV tend to, according
to Health Canada "have a lower survival rate than men" in part due to "late
diagnosis and delay of treatment because of misdiagnosis of early symptoms;
exclusion from drug trials and lack of access to antiviral treatment; lack
of research into the natural history of HIV in women; higher rates of poverty
among women and lack of access to adequate health care; and the tendency
of many women to make self-care a lower priority than the care of children
and family."
While women as a group are more vulnerable than men to HIV infection and
AIDS-related illnesses, some populations of women face significantly greater
risks. For example, HIV affects more than twice as many Aboriginal as non-Aboriginal
women in Canada. As elsewhere in the world, women in Canada who are most
disadvantaged and marginalized are also most vulnerable to HIV.
On the whole, policies and programs aimed at HIV prevention, treatment,
care, support and impact mitigation have not focussed on, nor - in some
cases - even taken account of the differential needs of women and the gender
dimensions of the epidemic.
Governments and policy makers can help to stem the tide of the epidemic
in Canada and abroad by advancing the work of the National Ministerial
Council on HIV and AIDS, by promoting further gender-based analysis of
the Canadian Strategy on HIV/AIDS and of provincial and territorial strategies,
where they exist, and by encouraging the development of gender-appropriate
HIV/AIDS strategies in all regions of the country.
In particular, we should be promoting the understanding of the ways in
which females and males are differentially affected by HIV and AIDS-related
illnesses, specifically through support for research as well as public
and professional education. All levels of government also need to make
certain that gender is mainstreamed into all policies and programs pertaining
to HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support.
In general, we need to foster a broader and more inclusive approach to
HIV/AIDS in order to recognize and respond to the needs of all Canadians,
regardless of sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity and life circumstances.
This may mean protecting existing resources and securing new resources
to help support agencies and programs that foster positive-living for those
infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
The Canadian government also needs to honour international commitments
and agreements aimed at poverty reduction, elimination of discrimination
and violence against women, child development, human rights, and HIV/AIDS
prevention, treatment, care, and support around the world. And we need
to hold our government to these promises.
If Canada does not respond swiftly and appropriately to these changing
patterns of infection, the HIV epidemic threatens to become endemic - with
appalling consequences for all Canadians.
For more information, visit the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for
Women's Health: www.acewh.dal.ca
_________
* All statistics taken from HIVand AIDS in Canada, Surveillance Report to
December 31, 2003, Health Canada; HIV/AIDS Epi Update , 2003,
Health Canada; Women and HIV/AIDS Factsheet , Bureau of Women's
Health and Gender Analysis, Health Canada, 2004.
Websites on Women and HIV/AIDS
by Barbara
Bourrier-LaCroix
from the Canadian Women's Health Network
- Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE)
- CATIE provides information to help people living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers make informed health care decisions and assists physicians and other health care professionals access the latest information on AIDS treatment advances. The group advocates for improved research, better treatments and easier access to treatments.
-
- Canadian AIDS Society
- The Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) is a coalition of community-based AIDS organizations that advocates for people and communities affected by HIV/AIDS. CAS facilitates the development of programs, services and resources for member groups, and provides a national framework for community-based participation in Canada's response to AIDS.
- Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre
- The Canadian HIV/AIDS Information Centre provides information and communication services on HIV prevention, care, treatment and support. The Centre maintains Canada's largest library of HIV/AIDS resources and distributes thousands of posters, pamphlets, and manuals every year.
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- Head and Heart
- This magazine, published by the Centre of Resources, Interventions and Services in Sexual Health (CRISS), offers information for women who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Articles deal with issues such as family life, HIV in the workplace, HIV treatment and HIV and women's health.
-
- HIV/AIDS: Know Your Risks - Know Your Choices
- This website, created by the Canadian AIDS Society, is part of a national awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS targeting young women. The site includes a quiz, a look at the different campaign materials, a glossary, and a listing of other good sites.
-
- HIV, Women & Youth
- This site, a project of Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada, provides resources including: info sheets on HIV testing, pregnancy, prevention, and healthy HIV positive living; resources for service providers including statistics and advocacy guidelines; a quiz, story archive, and a glossary.
-
- Positive Women's Network
- Positive Women's Network provides information, resources, and services as well as leadership in advocacy, training and community inclusion of health issues affecting women with HIV. Their website offers newsletters, trends and research reports, and contact information for some AIDS service organizations in British Columbia.
-
- Voices of Positive Women
- Voices of Positive Women aims to empower women living with HIV/AIDS through confidential support, outreach, information and education. The organization advocates to improve the health and quality of life of HIV-positive women. VOPW promotes accurate, affirming images of HIV-positive women and offers peer support programs in Toronto and throughout Ontario.
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Posted: July 6, 2005
