Women’s economic empowerment and the HIV and AIDS response

Alysa Remtulla Gender, Her Series, Women's Economic Empowerment

We know that gender inequality fuels the HIV epidemic and that women’s economic empowerment is a powerful tool to change gender relations. Does that mean that women’s economic empowerment can reduce women’s vulnerability to HIV? Evidence reveals the relationship may be more complicated. In 2015, young women (15-24) made up 20% of all new HIV infections (despite representing just 11% …