As the AIDS epidemic in Africa assumes major proportions, the need to understand the social context in which heterosexual transmission occurs takes on urgent importance. In this article we explore how the intersection of traditional culture with the colonial legacy and present-day political economy has influenced family structure and sexual relations, and particularly the social position of women. Drawing on Zimbabwe's historical experience, we show how land expropriation, rural impoverishment, and the forcible introduction of male migrant labor fostered new patterns of sexual relations, characterized by multiple partners. Traditional patriarchal values reinterpreted in European law resulted in further subjugation of women as even limited rights to ownership were withdrawn. For many women, sexual relations with men, either within marriage (for the majority) or outside, become inextricably linked to economic and social survival. In this setting, all sexually transmitted diseases became rampant, including genital ulcer, which facilitates transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Intervention programs to halt the spread of AIDS need to take into the account the epidemic's historical roots and social nature. For example, efforts to reduce risk of HIV transmission should seek to expand women's limited options, both technically (e.g., by providing alternatives to condoms) and socially (e.g., by promoting employment).

Maternal mortality in Zimbabwe has unprecedentedly risen over the last two and half decades although a decline has been noted recently. Many reasons have been advanced for the rising trend, including deliveries without skilled care, in places without appropriate or adequate facilities to handle complications. The recent decline has been attributed to health systems strengthening through a multi-donor pooled funding mechanism. On the other hand, the proportion of community deliveries has also been growing steadily over the years and in this study we investigate why. We used twelve (12) focus group discussions with child-bearing women and eight (8) key informant interviews (KIIs). Four (4) were traditional birth attendants and four (4) were spiritual birth attendants. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data in Ethnography software. The study shows that women prefer community deliveries due to perceived low economic, social and opportunity costs involved; pliant and flexible services offered; and diminishing quality and appeal of institutional maternity services. We conclude that rural women are very economic, logical and rational in making choices on place of delivery. Delivering in the community offers financial, social and opportunity advantages to disenfranchised women, particularly in remote rural areas. We recommend for increased awareness of the dangers of community deliveries; establishment of basic obstetric care facilities in the community and more efficient emergency referral systems. In the long-term, there should be a sustainable improvement of the public health delivery system to make it accessible, affordable and usable by the public.

The article is an attempt to provide a kaleidoscopic interpretation of how social science scholarship views the socio-cultural terrain of Zimbabwe during and after the global health crisis, and the societal and business haemorrhage induced by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Built through a multi-perspective and triangulation involving a modified Delphic approach that engages archival methods involving document and literature review, content analysis and expert interpretation; the article unveils the various effects of COVID-19 on Zimbabwe. It is concluded that COVID-19 by its nature is disruptive to everyday life, restrictive to human-social relations and is an instigator to tradition, spirituality and intellectuality in the country. The challenge of the virus brings to society a deliberate consciousness that global processes and events are converging (borders are porous) while local embeddedness is being entrenched through practices like lockdowns and confinement.

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We assess gender differences in HIV prevention knowledge, attitudes and practices with a focus on cultural, sociological, and economic variables. A randomized cross-sectional study was used in order to achieve high participation and broad comparative assessment. An eight-page questionnaire was administered to 933 randomly selected students at the University of Zimbabwe. Survey items addressed sexual decision-making, condom use, limiting sexual partners, cultural power dynamics and access to HIV testing. We found marked gender differences with men reporting beliefs of entitlement to dominate women, an assumed leadership in decision-making concerning condom use and an attitude that when a woman says "no" to sex, really, "it depends." Women acknowledged gender-based cultural attitudes but are much more likely to support women's rights to sexual expression. A multi-faceted approach to gender equity training is needed to challenge men and women to change attitudes and increase social awareness that respects cultural traditions while still inspiring both men and women to champion justice and equality between genders.