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Gender and Sexuality

The role of gender in the spread of HIV and AIDS among farmworkers in South Africa

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Background: Gender inequality and men’s perceived sexual and economic superiority over
women are central to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The farming community
in which the participants in the study live operates along such patriarchal lines, with the men
making the important decisions for their families.
Aim: To explore and describe the role of gender in the spread of HIV and acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among farmworkers in South Africa.
Setting: The study was conducted in the Levubu farms, Vhembe district, Limpopo Province,
South Africa.
Methods: The researchers adopted a qualitative, explorative and descriptive research design
with in-depth semi-structured interviews. Purposive and convenience sampling methods
were used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria. Data collected were thematically
analysed using Creswell’s data analysis method. Lincoln and Guba’s model to ensure
trustworthiness and ethical standards were applied.

Results: The findings of the study clearly indicated that powerlessness and lack of decision-
making by female farmworkers was common as female farmworkers were dependent on their

male partners to make decisions in the workplace as well as decisions regarding sexual matters
in a relationship.
Conclusion: The main conclusion drawn from the findings were that farmworkers are
continuously exposed to exploitation and disempowerment in a variety of ways with very
little support from their supervisors, which makes them vulnerable to contracting HIV.

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: African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine.,
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Language
English
ISSN
2071-2936||2071-2928
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Article
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