Power, Economy and Responsibility: Implications of HIV/AIDS on Gender in Karnataka

Abstract

HIV/AIDS is one of the major diseases that affect people adversely through various means, including social, economic and psychological among others. In this paper, the impact of HIV/AIDS on women through changes in their economic and social status is analysed. On the one hand, HIV-positive women are socially disowned and marginalised, and on the other hand, they also faced several economic challenges including decrease in income due to illness and burden of health expenditure. In some cases, they were vulnerable to the extent that they were thrown out of their homes after detection of the disease without any assurance of rights. This study found that some source of earning after HIV made a few women economically independent. Yet with the economic position alleviated, a few women could not question their social subjugation. On the basis of the findings of this study, it is argued that until and unless women are provided with some earning opportunities along with measures of empowerment, they would not live comfortably.