HIV/AIDS and the Power of Decision Making - A Gender Study in a Rural Township in South Africa

Regarding the HIV-infection rate of 14 percent in 2005, SouthAfrica is battling with one of the most severe HIV/AIDS pandemicsworldwide. Obviously, HIV/AIDS programs have had only scarceeffects on the growing prevalence rate. The strategies of thenational and international health-promotion seem to lack therecognition of cultural preconditions of the people. Thesocio-cultural upbringing of an individual with allits morale andnormative codex is channelling situations of socializing with otherpeople, such as friendships and partnerships are. The book is basedon research data gathered during several field stays in a SouthAfrican township. After giving a brief introduction into thecultural understanding of sickness and healing the author puts hermain focus on the vulnerability of the women to the pandemic withreference to gender power relations. Besides, she identifies theinvisibility of the actual outspread of the virus as the mainsource of stagnation of the Anti-HIV/AIDS battle. Finally, thisbook is supposed to highlight the inevitable need for culturalknowledge at the outset of any HIV/AIDS program of governmental andnon-governmental organisations.