Community HIV Prevention: What Can We Learn from the Perceptions and Experiences of HIV-Positive Women Living in Metropolitan Toronto,Canada?

Researchers and practitioners have pointed to a number of gender issues that influence women's ability to practice safer sex and protect themselves from HIV. Many of the studies, however, are based on research with HIV-negative women. This qualitative study sought to explore with forty HIV-positive women (for whom prevention was not effective) the types of issues that they believe need to be addressed to ensure effective prevention for other women. Participants also were asked to discuss the impact of HIV on their sexual lives as a means of exploring the types of issues that are needed to ensure effective secondary prevention efforts. Many of the women interviewed suggested that not only is there a need to challenge gender inequities as a means of ensuring women's protection against HIV, but that different “accommodation strategies” are necessary in the short-term to ensure women's health. In addition, many of the women pointed to the fact that women's identity—as wife or girlfriend—is often based on the belief that their sexual relationships are “safe” from HIV. The importance of addressing gender identity (rooted in gender inequities) when developing HIV prevention efforts is discussed.