ABSTRACT
AIDS in Africa is transmitted largely through heterosexual sex in a context of gender inequality. Controlling the AIDS epidemic therefore requires a transformation in gender relations as much as it requires miracle cures or technological ‘fixes’. In this situation the ‘empowerment’ of women has often been advocated as a strategy and a solution. In practice, transformations in gender relations are hard-won against the embedded structures of male power, even where, as in the case of AIDS, sexual relations put men at risk too. If the reality of power is neglected, the call for empowerment may remain little more than a slogan.
