Stigma Clings Stubbornly to Women Living With HIV/AIDS

HIV-positive women in the United States face strikingly high levels of stigma, according to survey results released today by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

The amfAR survey results will be presented at a press conference on Monday, March 31, at 9 a.m. at the National Press Club’s 13th Floor First Amendment Lounge, 529 14th St. N.W., in Washington, D.C. The press conference will be followed by a briefing in which panelists will offer personal and professional perspectives on HIV-related stigma among women.

The results of the survey reveal pervasive negative views of HIV-positive women and a high level of discomfort in interacting with them. Many of the responses display a lack of knowledge of how HIV is transmitted and misplaced fear of contracting the virus that indicate a pressing need to scale up prevention education efforts.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents indicated that they would be somewhat or not at all comfortable with an HIV-positive woman as their dentist; 59 percent said they would be somewhat or not at all comfortable with an HIV-positive woman serving as their childcare provider; and 57 percent said they would be somewhat or not at all comfortable having a female physician who is HIV-positive. One in five respondents would be somewhat or not at all comfortable having a close friend who is HIV positive.

Only 14 percent of respondents felt that HIV-positive women should have children. Currently medication exists to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The survey also demonstrates significant differences in how Blacks, Hispanics and Caucasians perceive HIV/AIDS and the risk of acquiring it. Of those who know someone with HIV or AIDS, Blacks (34 percent) and Hispanics (32 percent) are much more likely to have a family member with HIV/AIDS than Caucasians (13 percent).

Insights were also gained into public attitudes about HIV testing. Nearly 40 percent were sure they had not been tested for HIV. A majority (80 percent) of these respondents indicated that they did not need a test either because they “knew” they did not have HIV or because they didn’t think they needed to be tested.

However, respondents overwhelmingly supported expanded HIV testing and 65 percent support making HIV testing part of standard routine healthcare. This acceptance may be partially linked to the belief that HIV testing occurs more frequently than it does, with 67 percent mistakenly assuming that they are automatically screened for HIV when they are tested for other sexually transmitted infections. Fifty percent believed that women are automatically tested during prenatal exams.

The survey draws much needed attention to the plight of women living with HIV/AIDS. Forty-six percent of people with HIV/AIDS worldwide – about 15.4 million – are women and girls. In the United States, women account for 27 percent of new AIDS diagnoses, up from only eight percent in 1985. Both domestically and internationally, women continue to face widespread social and gender inequalities that can make it difficult for them to reduce their risk of HIV infection. In addition, women are biologically more susceptible to HIV infection than men.