'We need other men to stand up and start the journey' engaging men as HIV community health workers - a gender transformative approach?

Culture, Health & Sexuality
Lesley Gittings, Ashraf Grimwood

Abstract

The HIV epidemic is strongly gendered. Women and girls are more likely to contract HIV for biological and social reasons in Sub-Saharan Africa and men living with HIV are more likely to be lost to follow-up and die on antiretroviral therapy (ART) than women. Care work is also gendered, with women shouldering the burden of HIV care-related work. This paper considers the potential of male delivered community health work to improve men's HIV-related health outcomes and shift gendered norms related to care work. It describes the experiences and perspectives of eight HIV community health workers and their clients from the Cape Town area, and reviews current evidence on male-focused HIV and sexual and reproductive health services, gender transformation and men and care. Findings suggest that meaningfully involving more men in HIV care work may be a way to shift damaging hegemonic masculine norms related to care and health, and that South Africa's roll-out of National Health Insurance could be an opportunity to do so. Barriers to engaging men in this feminised profession are also explored.

References

Jul 30, 2009·Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes : JAIDS·Dean PeacockThomas J Coates
Aug 5, 2010·AIDS·Morna CornellUNKNOWN International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS Southern Africa (IeDEA-SA) Collaboration
Sep 28, 2010·The Journal of Development Studies·Christopher J ColvinJoan Leavens
Mar 23, 2011·Tropical Medicine & International Health : TM & IH·Morna CornellLandon Myer
Jun 1, 2011·SAHARA J : Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance·Jami S LeichliterDavid A Lewis
Jan 1, 2014·Pediatric Blood & Cancer·Kristin A LongRobert B Noll
Jul 7, 2016·African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine·Pfungwa MambangaTakalani Tshitangano

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Citations

Jun 27, 2020·Journal of the International AIDS Society·Linah K MwangoCassidy W Claassen

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