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Schule > Englisch > Landeskunde > AIDS in South Africa: The reasons for different rates & the consequences

AIDS in South Africa: The reasons for different rates of infection & the consequences

Men:
( Especially young men experiment with unsafe sex in order to prove their masculinity. As they have no other source of information about sex they can only gain experiences by practising it.
( Men have various women, that means that they often live in a polygamy to satisfy their sexual needs.
( Many men are unfaithful, they even take the offer of prostitutes, so that they have a higher risk to get infected.
( Migrant workers are far away from their family and feel lonely that’s why they have unsafe sex (more endangered).

( Unbelievable myths still exist which say that:
1. Sex with a virgin can heal the disease.
2. The sperms will go into the head of the men if they haven’t got enough sex.

Women:
( It’s improbable that a woman takes the initiative in order to talk about safer sex with her partner
( it’s a social norm that a woman has to be decent and fertile.
( traditional norm of virginity also exposes them to different risks of infection
1.they are afraid of informing themselves about contraceptives, because one could suppose that they are sexual active
2. they often practise anal sex in order to keep their virginity
3. belief that sex with a virgin can heal AIDS
( an unfaithful man means also a high risk (no use of condoms)
( Economical dependence is the most important reason for women to offer sex in order to get money or other presents. That’s why they don’t talk about contraceptives or leave their men even though they often represent a high risk
( sexual violence: most of the women live in conditions in which sexual readiness is forced by men. If they oppose unsafe sex they are even accused of adultery.
( it’s unthinkable that the man is responsible for the disease so that’s always the HIV positive woman who is blamed
( maternity is very idealized, so that women nearly can’t practice safer sex or sex without penetration

Consequences:
( People of South Africa are afraid of revealing the diagnosis, because they know that they’ll lose their job or that they aren’t any more accepted by their sphere.
( The fact that they aren’t really well informed concerning sex, leads to unconscious an unknown infections.
( problems with drugs& alcohol or they get violent because they can’t handle the situation
( HIV positive women are discriminated and refused whereas HIV positive men are supported by their wives.
( Standard of living decreases because in most cases is the provider of a family infected so that he can’t any longer earn money.

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