National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Facts About National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Hidden Racial Disparities in Women’s HIV Diagnoses

In the United States, Black women account for more than half of new HIV diagnoses among women, despite representing only about 14 percent of the female population.

This disparity reflects the combined effects of residential segregation, unequal healthcare access, and higher community HIV prevalence, rather than individual behavior alone.

Intimate Partner Violence Increases Women’s Biological HIV Risk 

Women who experience intimate partner violence are more likely to acquire HIV, not only because of forced sex and reduced ability to negotiate condoms, but also because chronic stress and genital injury can increase biological vulnerability to infection.

Studies summarized by CDC and UNAIDS show that addressing gender-based violence is a core HIV prevention strategy for women and adolescent girls.  

Mother-to-Child Transmission Has Become Largely Preventable 

Before modern antiretroviral therapy, up to 25–30 percent of infants born to mothers with HIV could acquire the virus during pregnancy, labor, or breastfeeding.

With appropriate treatment, safe delivery practices, and, where feasible, alternatives to breastfeeding, the risk of mother-to-child transmission can be reduced to below 1 percent in high-resource settings, transforming pregnancy outcomes for women with HIV.  

Women Are Underrepresented in PrEP Use Despite Clear Need

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at preventing HIV, yet women in the United States make up a much smaller share of PrEP users than of new HIV diagnoses.

In 2022, women accounted for about 19 percent of new HIV diagnoses but only about 8–9 percent of PrEP users, which suggests persistent gaps in awareness, provider recommendation, and insurance coverage for women.  

Gendered Care Responsibilities Can Delay HIV Treatment for Women 

Research on HIV care in the U.S. and globally shows that women often postpone their own testing and treatment because they prioritize caregiving for children, partners, or older relatives.

This “caregiver first, patient second” pattern contributes to later diagnosis, more advanced disease at entry into care, and lower rates of viral suppression among women compared with men.  

Transgender Women Face Exceptionally High HIV Prevalence 

National data from CDC indicate that transgender women, particularly Black and Latina transgender women, experience some of the highest HIV prevalence of any group in the country.

In some urban samples, more than 4 in 10 transgender women tested were living with HIV, a burden driven by discrimination, unstable housing, and barriers to gender-affirming and routine healthcare. 

Adolescent Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa Bear a Disproportionate Global Burden

Globally, adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa are one of the populations most affected by HIV.

UNAIDS estimates that in this region, girls and young women aged 15–24 are more than three times as likely to acquire HIV as their male peers, due to factors such as age-disparate relationships, limited schooling, and high levels of gender-based violence.