Challenging Stigma: Closing the Gender Gap

The annual National Day of Women living with HIV is a day to celebrate the lives of all women living with HIV as well as an opportunity to challenge stigma in all its forms and raise awareness around HIV gender-related inequities.

“Globally, 54% of all people living with HIV are women, while here in NSW, women living with HIV make up about 11 percent of the total population of people living with HIV. The Kirby Institute has estimated that there are currently 1,070 women living with HIV in NSW, with approximately 5% undiagnosed and therefore unaware of their status,” Positive Life NSW CEO Jane Costello said.

“Gender-related inequities in the HIV response contribute to the relative invisibility of women. Women are significantly more likely than men to have been diagnosed more than two years after they acquired HIV, as reported in the HIV Futures 10 Report[1]. Women were also more likely than men to report recent financial stress, often have less information about HIV, experience stigma and exclusion differently, and have unequal power dynamics with men,” said Ms Costello.

“Closing the gender gap for all women living with or at risk of HIV can be achieved if we listen to what their needs are,” Positive Life’s Aboriginal Health Program Officer, Michelle Tobin said.  “But more importantly, it’s about how we inform women about their rights to culturally appropriate healthcare that should include information about HIV prevention, testing and treatment. The time to yarn about HIV is now,” she said.

“The under-representation of women in HIV-related research leads to gaps in scientific knowledge about the ways in which HIV may affect women. This is particularly relevant around treatment as historically this was studied in men, and we still do not fully understand how HIV medications interact with women’s bodies. There are multiple intersections between HIV and additional socio-economic factors specific to women which affect the health and wellbeing of the diverse community of women living with HIV,” said Ms Costello.

“On this National Day of Women Living with HIV, we need to challenge HIV stigma, and address the assumptions and inequities particular to gender to improve health outcomes for all women living with HIV.  For the HIV epidemic to end, we must close the gender gap,” said Ms Costello.

Positive Life NSW will hold an annual National Day of Women living with HIV high tea for women living with HIV, friends and supporters and hear from a range of presenters speaking to our 2023 theme, Challenging Stigma: Closing the Gender Gap.

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MEDIA:  Jane Costello, CEO – 1800 245 677

Phone: 02 9206 2177        Toll Free:  1800 245 677       Email contact@positivelife.org.au

[1] Norman, T., Power, J., Rule, J., Chen, J., & Bourne., A. (2022). HIV Futures 10: Quality of life among people living with HIV in Australia (monograph series number 134). Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University. doi: 10.26181/21397641