Gender and HIV in South Africa

Courtenay Sprague is Associate Professor in the Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security & Global Governance, and the Department of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Boston, USA. She holds a joint appointment with the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

• Introduction.- Part I. HIV, Gender and Health for Black South African Women.- 1. Health Outcomes, Social and Biological Factors Influencing Women’s HIV Acquisition in Social Context.- 2. HIV Care: Prevailing Trends, Barriers and Paradoxes.- 3. Conceptualising Justice in Health as Opportunities to be Healthy (Capabilities).- Part II. Capabilities for Black South African Women: Gender as a Structural Health Determinant.- 4. Methodological Considerations and Research Methods to Advance Social Justice.- 5. Capabilities for Women Living with HIV: Linking Health Systems to Social Structure.- Part III. Moving from Evidence to Action.- 6. Gender-Transformative Structural Interventions to Advance South African Women’s Capabilities.- 7. Assessing Equity in Health and Women’s Opportunities to be Healthy.- Concluding Reflections: From Research to Policy and Practice.

“Gender and HIV in South Africa is an ambitious and important book, written meticulously and with great empathy. … it presents an excellent overview for those who seek to understand Black women’s vulnerability to HIV, offering the kind of information and context (historical, political,and legal) that is particularly useful for actors such as NGOs and policymakers working at the intersection of health and gender justice.” (Kathleen Rice, Gender & Development, Vol. 27 (3), 2019)“The study’s multi-method approach and the engagement with key questions, drawing on a diverse range of knowledge sources—including pairing of large, quantitative datasets with empirical and original qualitative research—are particular strengths of the book. … Sprague invites researchers to extend themselves, to draw on the richness of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary dialogue in researching the complex landscape of HIV and gender.” (Tamara Shefer, The Lancet, Vol. 19 (2), February, 2019)“This work is groundbreaking and urges the reader to reflect on the structural links between gender inequalities, HIV, health, and social justice. Readers cannot avoid re-thinking how they approach these issues. … This book should be read by everyone in the fields of justice, health equity, gender, and HIV. … it should be read by all health practitioners and policymakers because it challenges us to reflect on health care, women’s capabilities to realize health, and health equity.” (Samantha Willan, African Journal of AIDS Research, Vol. 17 (3),2018)