AIDS, Impact on Families (Africa)

Abstract

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has caused dramatic demographic shifts in the developing world. This is particularly true in small rural villages, where community roles and responsibilities are transforming in an attempt to adapt to the absence of a young generation rapidly disappearing from society. Within Africa, primary victims of the disease are the “productive young adults” who traditionally hold social, financial, and political responsibilities and roles of leadership within rural communities. This has had a dramatic impact on the socioeconomic dynamics within many African countries, as the large number of deaths has ultimately meant social changes in rural villages throughout sub‐Saharan Africa with high HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. The ways in which family structures are changing in the context of HIV/AIDS will greatly impact the future of sub‐Saharan Africa as society continues to shift and adapt to these demographic changes.