Objectives : Based on a qualitative study conducted in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, this article examines how the availability of HAART since April 2004 may impact the views and choices of HIV-positive couples on childbearing. Methods : In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 couples where at least one partner was HIV positive. All respondents were of reproductive age and had or were confronting reproductive and sexual decision-making. Results : HAART seems to have had a profound impact on the subject of childbearing among those who still desire to have children. Where hitherto individuals had only a desire for a child many are now, as a result of the availability of HAART, actively planning to have one. HAART has not only transformed their physical state but it has also transformed mostly what had been desire into intention. The impact, however, has not been uniform. Some respondents still desired to have a child but were not yet convinced about the efficacy of HAART in preventing vertical transmission. Some respondents felt that HAART may have a negative impact on the foetus and as such were against childbearing by HIV-positive people. No respondent indicated that their desire or intention to have a child had been extinguished by the advent of HAART. Conclusion : Based on the findings of the study, HAART seems to have had a differential but nonetheless significant role in the reproductive plans of HIV-positive couples. The study also notes that there is a need to make available complete and unbiased information on HAART, mother-to-child transmission risk (MTCT) and pregnancy to HIV-positive couples so as to enable them to make informed decisions.

Historically, the mining sector has been a preserve of males, making it a highly male dominated environment which had very few women. Even in contemporary periods, the mining sector is still largely viewed as a gender “blind” sector to a larger extent. The study sought to explore the challenges faced by female small scale mine owners and how they have managed to survive in the harsh mining environment in which they operate. Study results indicate female mine owners face daunting challenges such as lack of financial capital and high costs associated with mining activities, lack of equipment, lack of technical knowledge of mining, as well as legal and policy constraints. Regardless of these challenges these mining start-ups by women have managed to survive and even grow in the harsh economic and political environment in Zimbabwe. The study concluded that challenges faced by female mine owners can be traced to gender disparity whose genesis is the patriarchal nature of Zimbabwean society and the untenable economic and political climate that has been in existence in Zimbabwe since the year 2000. Given a conducive socio-political and economic environment as well as a permitting legal and policy framework, women entrepreneurs can play a significant role in the economic transformation of the country.

The study explores how HIV-positive couples negotiate and make reproductive and sexually related decisions. The broader aim of the paper is to understand how men and women with HIV make decisions about contraception and reproduction and what those decisions indicate about the realities of HIV-positive relationships. In line with the study's aim to explore meanings related to the decision making process, a qualitative research approach was adopted. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 couples in which at least one of them was HIV-positive. A critical interpretive analysis of the data was adopted in order to gain insight into decision making among the HIV-positive couples. The results indicate that decisions made were usually a result of negotiation and compromise between partners. However, women's fertility and sexual preferences were found to be a major factor in determining the outcome of the decision making process. Couples who intended to have a child were found to be active decision makers while those who only desired or did not desire to have a child were mainly passive decision makers. The study concludes that women exercise significant power over contraceptive and reproductive decisions among both active and passive decision makers.

Objective. The role of health professionals in the decision making process of patients is usually heard or seen from the perspective of the patients. This paper gives the usually silent and invisible health professionals voice and visibility. It describes their views and attitudes towards reproduction by couples who are HIV positive and attempts to understand their perspectives. Methods. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve health professionals at an opportunistic infections clinic. Transcribed interviews were analysed using the grounded approach to identify patterns and themes concerning views and attitudes of health professionals towards reproduction by HIV positive people. Results. The study found that most health professionals generally had a negative attitude towards childbearing by HIV positive couples. Their views and approaches on the issue were based mainly on biomedical considerations. The main discourses on childbearing that emerged from the study were the conditional choice, the antichildbearing, and the prorights. Conclusion. Most of the health professionals interviewed tend to take a generally negative stance towards reproduction by people with HIV/AIDS. There is a need for a clear set of guidelines for health professionals (HPs) on how to deal with HIV positive people who may desire to reproduce.