Abstract:
Gender inequalities have long been recognised as one of the most significant factors influencing the dynamics of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, it remains unclear how men and women are discussed in HIV-prevention initiatives and if certain representations of men and women impact prevention guidance. This research aimed to understand how men and women are portrayed in HIV-prevention guidelines produced by UNAIDS for the SSA region, and how these influence the different types of interventions targeted at women and men. Thirty-four UNAIDS prevention documents were included in the study. The policy documents were analysed to ascertain the frequency of different interventions suggested, the extent to which they were targeted at men and women, and a textual analysis of the way that men and women were represented. Due to a lack of information regarding other gender identities, the research was aimed at cis-gender men and women only. The analysis revealed that most policy documents focused on women, that there were differences in the types of interventions targeted at men and women, with few social interventions targeted at men, and that the language used to describe men and women repeats traditional gender stereotypes and cements simplistic dualisms. The lack of social interventions targeted at men suggests that behaviour change among men is not highly prioritised in current prevention initiatives. Instead, current UNAIDS policy focuses on women as the key site for intervention and empowerment. UNAIDS should therefore provide more details and examples about how best to engage men and boys in prevention efforts, as well as to include more nuanced conceptions of gender in policy guidance.
摘要:
长期以来,性别不平等一直被认为是影响撒哈拉以南非洲(SSA)艾滋病毒流行动态的最重要因素之一。然而,目前尚不清楚在艾滋病毒预防举措中如何讨论男性和女性,以及男性和女性的某些陈述是否会影响预防指导。这项研究旨在了解联合国艾滋病规划署为SSA地区制定的艾滋病毒预防指南中如何描述男女,以及这些如何影响针对女性和男性的不同类型的干预措施。研究中包括了34份艾滋病规划署预防文件。对政策文件进行了分析,以确定建议的不同干预措施的频率,他们针对男性和女性的程度,以及对男女代表方式的文本分析。由于缺乏关于其他性别认同的信息,这项研究只针对顺式男女。分析显示,大多数政策文件侧重于妇女,针对男性和女性的干预类型存在差异,很少有针对男性的社会干预,用来描述男人和女人的语言重复了传统的性别刻板印象,并巩固了简单化的二元论。缺乏针对男性的社会干预措施表明,在当前的预防举措中,男性的行为改变并未得到高度重视。相反,艾滋病规划署目前的政策侧重于妇女作为干预和赋权的关键场所。因此,UNAIDS应提供更多细节和例子,说明如何最好地让男子和男孩参与预防工作,以及在政策指导中纳入更细微的性别概念。