Both / And

In our seminar today Melissa, Eunice, and I started off our discussion by giving an overview of HIV/AIDS in the African context, describing the special vulnerability of women, and by analyzing taboos around sexuality in both African and Western/U.S. cultures. Women are more vulnerable to HIV for a variety of reasons. We are more vulnerable biologically in heterosexual sex because of our anatomy. Women who are malnourished or who do not have access to clean water are also biologically more vulnerable because their immune systems would already be suppressed.

There are also social, cultural, and religious factors that influence infection rates among women. When a woman is not seen as an equal partner in a sexual relationship she likely not able to stand up for her own self-care. Women are vulnerable economically when they are dependent on men and are unable to control their reproductive health care decisions. Some women cannot demand abstinence or condom use from their partners because they fear violence. Others don't want to have contraceptive intercourse because they desire to have children and have been socialized to believe that unless they bear children they are "dead ends" for the family.

The situation is complex and serious. But our discussion today was interesting in that as a group we agree that a systems analysis is essential but incomplete on its own. A gendered systems analysis would see the person in her complex social relationships, and would note the ways that poverty, culture, and family upbringing can constrain one's moral agency. It would highlight the need for social responsibility going forward. But at the same time we see that it is essential to promote individual behavior change, and to affirm each person as moral agent capable of acting responsibly. Women should not simply be seen as victims of social forces beyond their control. A both/and approach can critique cultural barriers to flourishing without neglecting the agency of women.