Apartheid was governmental racism that is still deeply embedded in South African culture. Apartheid affected almost every social aspect of South African living, especially for black South Africans. It affected all facets of masculinity, femininity, and violence. As Moffett writes, “the pernicious and overtly racially ranked hierarchies endorsed and enforced during South Africa’s apartheid regime continue to have profound implications for women” (Moffett, 131). The remnants of apartheid remarkably affect women because of the way they experience gender and sexual-based violence. The male perpetrators, through the roots of apartheid, justify the violence experienced, as Moffett writes. The spread of HIV/AIDS is exceptionally cruel for
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The stigmatization of HIV/AIDS-positive people is worse among poor families because of the burden it puts on the families. It causes massive practical, emotional, and especially financial stress on the families. Since these families are poor, the health care they are granted is very insignificant, making the burden of a HIV/AIDS-positive person even worse. This leads to an irrational fear and hatred of HIV/AIDS, which further stigmatizes HIV/AIDS-positive people. The third and most important cluster is the stigmatization of sex itself, which leads to no sexual education and the further spread of the disease. There is a heavy, “stigmatization of the sexuality of women and young people – the two groups most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa” (Campbell et. al., 133). Women in the South African culture are already at a disadvantage socially because of the remains of apartheid. But because of the stigmatization of their sexuality they are not allowed to express themselves and then further spread the HIV/AIDS virus without realizing …show more content…
Sex is not extremely taboo in South Africa but sexuality itself is taboo and because of this many girls have different and opposing views on sex. Pregnant girls were interviewed and “believed they were not allowed to demonstrate desire and initiate sex; sex was bad—an activity you are forced to do by someone who is stronger than you” (Outwater et. al., 146). Women are just supposed to ‘stay away from the boys’ when they start menstruating, which puts the entire responsibility of being sexually safe in the hands of the girls. This provides no responsibility to the men, who are more often the initiators of sex in these relationships. There is a massive circularity pattern throughout South African relationships. Women are not supposed to have sex or rather not supposed to enjoy it. Men are able to force themselves on these women because they are stronger. Then these women become pregnant and possibly contract HIV/AIDS and pass on the virus to their child. When these women give birth, if they have a daughter, they teach her nothing about safe sexual practices, which continues this vicious cycle and the spread of
The stigmatization of HIV/AIDS-positive people is worse among poor families because of the burden it puts on the families. It causes massive practical, emotional, and especially financial stress on the families. Since these families are poor, the health care they are granted is very insignificant, making the burden of a HIV/AIDS-positive person even worse. This leads to an irrational fear and hatred of HIV/AIDS, which further stigmatizes HIV/AIDS-positive people. The third and most important cluster is the stigmatization of sex itself, which leads to no sexual education and the further spread of the disease. There is a heavy, “stigmatization of the sexuality of women and young people – the two groups most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa” (Campbell et. al., 133). Women in the South African culture are already at a disadvantage socially because of the remains of apartheid. But because of the stigmatization of their sexuality they are not allowed to express themselves and then further spread the HIV/AIDS virus without realizing …show more content…
Sex is not extremely taboo in South Africa but sexuality itself is taboo and because of this many girls have different and opposing views on sex. Pregnant girls were interviewed and “believed they were not allowed to demonstrate desire and initiate sex; sex was bad—an activity you are forced to do by someone who is stronger than you” (Outwater et. al., 146). Women are just supposed to ‘stay away from the boys’ when they start menstruating, which puts the entire responsibility of being sexually safe in the hands of the girls. This provides no responsibility to the men, who are more often the initiators of sex in these relationships. There is a massive circularity pattern throughout South African relationships. Women are not supposed to have sex or rather not supposed to enjoy it. Men are able to force themselves on these women because they are stronger. Then these women become pregnant and possibly contract HIV/AIDS and pass on the virus to their child. When these women give birth, if they have a daughter, they teach her nothing about safe sexual practices, which continues this vicious cycle and the spread of