The AIDS Epidemic: Challenges for Feminist Economics

Abstract

Feminist economics can provide critical insights into understanding the HIV/AIDS epidemic�-�the disease's progression, its microeconomic and macroeconomic impacts, and the effectiveness of policy interventions. Yet, relatively little work has been or is being done by feminist economists on HIV/AIDS. In this paper, the editors briefly survey the recent social science literature on the gendered nature of the epidemic and identify key constructs of feminist economic theory that might be productively applied to understanding HIV/AIDS. For example, an analysis of safe sex within a game-theoretic bargaining framework would highlight the limitations of prevention efforts that focus on changing individual behavior and underscore the impact of gendered institutions on women's likelihood of infection and access to treatment. A gendered analysis of the microeconomic and macroeconomic impacts of HIV/AIDS would contribute to a fuller understanding of the disease's impact on economic well-being. This paper challenges feminist economists to address these important research questions.HIV/AIDS, care work, macroeconomic models, health economics, JEL Codes: I0, O1,

Contentious Care: Foster Care Grants and the Caregiver–Orphan Relationship in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

“…Caregivers are treated simply as intermediaries, with scant attention paid to their rights, roles and responsibilities; rather, it is the discourse of children's rights that has influenced the African National Congress's (ANC) position (Hassim, 2006). Feminists are likely to argue that this difference is probably yet another illustration of the ways in which women's unpaid work continues to be unrecognized (Conrad & Doss, 2008;Akintola, 2008). 10 Apart from this feminist perspective, perhaps less obvious and undocumented is how resources spent via the FCG can be a potential site for conflict in the caregiver -orphan relationship.…”

“…Engaging with local human and social geographies shows how development policies shape and transform everyday life-sometimes in problematic and contentious ways (see also Ruwanpura, 2007;Conrad & Doss, 2008;Akintola, 2008). Well-meant initiatives have the potential to cause social tension and precipitate unseen familial and kinship crises.…”

“…This gender imbalance reflects the ways in which caregiving is as deeply ingrained as a women's activity in rural South Africa as it is in the Global North and other parts of the Global South (Folbre, 1994;Baylies, 2002b;Himmelweit, 2007, Conrad & Doss, 2008Akintola, 2008). 5 Their ages ranged from 22 to 80 years, with 14 carers being youths (i.e.…”

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“…Capacitybuilding efforts to address HIV/AIDS should include the cross-cutting issue of gender; that is, women should participate and have a voice in all aspects of capacity development, including human, institutional, and technical resource developments (Interview with L. Luguga, 4 July 2007). Emerging feminist theories widen our perspective on how to overcome injustice against individuals based on power inequalities resulting from gender roles; they also suggest areas to identify and then provide appropriate HIV education interventions for groups that are vulnerable because of gender (Conrad and Doss 2008;International Rescue Committee 2008;Kirkegaard 2007;Norsworthy and Khuankaew 2008).…”