ABSTRACT
Around the world, more and more women—principally poor women of color—are being diagnosed with and are dying of AIDS, the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. At the same time, ever increasing numbers of women are becoming infected by HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. Yet, despite the growing dimensions of this crisis, we continue to confront what is perhaps the most glaring omission in the global effort to control AIDS: the absence of appropriate and effective AIDS prevention programs that target and involve all women potentially at risk of HIV infection. Instead, the priorities and policies that put women last—and the factors that increase their risk of HIV infection—are the concrete and deadly expression of social, political, economic, and cultural conflicts that contribute to women’s oppression and are deeply embedded in the diverse societies where AIDS has taken root.
