Women, AIDS, and economic crisis in Central Africa
Schoepf, B.G.
Canadian Journal of African Studies 22(3): 625-644
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-3968 Document Number: 372730
The findings of the CONNAISSIDA Project are described. An interdisciplinary group began in 1985 to study the social construction of and response to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Zaire. The focus of the research note is on the risks that AIDS presents for women, and gender perceptions of the disease. The situation of women in Kinshasa is described. Issues commented on are: political economy, health and gender; women at risk; reactions to AIDS; youth at risk; and obstacles to practising safer sex. New survival strategies are needed and poor women must be involved in their design, implementation and evaluation.