| Short Summary | | Title | Mainstreaming Gender in HIV/AIDS Programs: Ongoing Challenges and New Opportunities in Malawi | | Author | Tiessen, R. | | Publication Date | January 2005 | | Publisher | Journal of International Women’s Studies | | Summary | If work on prevention of HIV/AIDS transmission in Malawi does not mainstream a gender approach, it is unlikely to achieve maximum impacts. This article chronicles some of the efforts to address the high rates of HIV/AIDS in the country, but notes that one of the biggest hurdles in prevention and mitigation remains - the attitudes and cultural norms which reinforce women's disadvantaged social position, and which influence male sexual behaviour. Interviews with men and women in Malawian rural communities revealed that women are often subjected to sexual-based violence, including marital rape, coerced sex or rape, which are known to lead to high rates of HIV. Women are also vulnerable to infection because of the male cultural practice of using the services of sex workers, especially when they are away from home. However, Malawian women often feel unable to ask their partners to use condoms because of the implication that they themselves have been engaging in extra marital sexual activity. This article argues for:
• a gender-sensitive approach to HIV/AIDS by NGOs and other development agencies, that can address these ingrained social inequalities and try to challenge behaviour and social norms;
• meaningful gender mainstreaming of the issues, which would require NGOs to begin by challenging gender relations within their own organisations;
• the need for sensitive, creative approaches to encourage people to talk about “private” issues such as HIV/AIDS, sexuality, violence and gender relations in a constructive way.
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