Hiv Among Young Women
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It has been more than two decades since the commencement of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; over 60 million people have been infected with the HIV virus, including more than 20 million people who have died from it. Currently in the United States of America, close to one million people are know living with the HIV virus that are reported cases. Think about how many cases that go every year that is not repoted. This virus is one epidemic that is turning out or has turned out to be one of the worst epidemics in history. Millions of more estimated cases are predicted to come about by the end of this decade alone, if more education and teaching prevention is not done. HIV and AIDS presents many challenges to the United States and worldwide. Due to the increasing numbers arising in young women of color, preferably African and Latinas, this is a subject that has to get addressed and stressed upon.
The rate of the HIV infection is increasing rapidly among woman of color, especially in African American females and Latinas. These woman, are shown in recent statistics that there numbers increased significantly, in which they may end up being one half of the AIDS cases in the future in the United States. Due to this astonishing prediction, the factors that place these women at risk become an important issue. The graft here shows the breakdown of each race of females and the HIV reported cases in 2001:
Women N=11,133
African American women account for close to 64 percent of HIV reported cases among women in 2001. “A CDC study of Job Corps entrants, ages 16 to 21, found that, compared to their white counterparts, African-American women were seven times more likely to be infected with HIV.” “While information on recent HIV infection is limited, available data suggest that the leading cause of HIV infection among African- American women is heterosexual contact, followed by injection drug use.”
Intravenously injected drugs are one of the most common reasons for exposure of the HIV virus coming after heterosexual contact. Also prostitution related to drug use is another way. Many of these women who use drugs exchange sex for drugs or for the money to acquire drugs. One study that was done with the women who exchanged sex for drugs found that one-third of women using crack or cocaine had over 100 sex partners, and the other 38% of women used condoms during vaginal sex with their buyers. Recent statistics show that women who used crack and cocaine had a high level of HIV in that group and also that 44% of all women with the HIV virus have a history of some type of drug use. Another study that was done showed that women who use IV drugs were more likely to be in a monogamous relationship with a male IV drug user. These women were more likely to share their needles with their partners, but the men IV drug users were more likely to share their needles with many other people. This practice contributes highly to the spread of the HIV virus.
In the past, the research on HIV prevention focused on “the impact of individual factors, such as perceived risk and knowledge of HIV prevention, on HIV risk behaviors.” Due to the increase of HIV in women, primarily women of color, research has focused on “womens HIV risk in the context of broader social issues, such as gender relationships, power dynamics, socioeconomic factors, sex roles, and experience related to race and ethnicity.” The research is now focused on this because researchers want to see how a womens capability and keenness to protect themselves against AIDS, especially when dealing with an intimate relationship, “is directly related to her sense of empowerment and perceptions of efficacy in her personal life.” This can be a great impact on women of color because these women have to have faced burdens of racism, sexism, and poverty which may sequentially give a sense of subjection and desperation.
Gender differences in power, value, and socioeconomic status are related to gender differences in patterns of drug use that may increase exposure to HIV.
Women of color who use drugs are more likely to be single, separated or divorce. They have less than a high school education and use either alcohol or smoke cigarettes or both, and have little social and family support. Violence in the history of some of these women may be an important aspect of some of these women and their illegal drug use. These findings show that women drug users are more likely that men drug users to be socially remote, dejected, and more reliant on their partners. Some of these women may use drugs originally in order to fit into the social use of drugs as a way in coping with the past life traumas and high levels of tension. As these women become more involved in their drug lifestyle, they become more estranged from the larger society and from their own communities. If you or I were in this position this would probably reinforce our drug use. You almost feel like you are alone, and the drugs are the only thing that will never leave us or turn their backs on you. “Unlike men they have limited options for social and economic support. As a result, they become further enmeshed in the drug lifestyle and dependent on sexual exchanges as a means of earning income. This creates a treacherous cycle of early trauma, social drug use, and increased risk of exposure to HIV.”
Condom use has psychological and social factors influencing drug use in women of color with their partners. Many women who use drugs know that condom use is very important to practice for preventing the HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases but still they do not usually use them. One indication that came about was that some of these women had the fears of violence from their partner as being a reason for not using condoms. Violence is a reality of many of the women who use illegal drugs. Due to the scare of violence this is a noteworthy deterrent in negotiating safer sex.
Women of color who live in low-income household may seek the economic relief and emotional support of their male counterpart and may not be willing to loosing that support or in return making them wear condoms during sex.
Some researchers feel that these women who try to negotiate condom use with a male partner “is a difficult problem that involves interpersonal power.” They concluded that “the unequal power of women in relationships with men is the root cause of the refusal of drug-using women to use condoms.” When interpreting these conclusions in a slow but sure way, these women are causing a slow and inevitable indirect form of suicide.
The grave impact of these social factors and the rise of HIV in these women who use