Since females are more vulnerable to HIV infection and since more women have been AIDS-infected, current study identifies representations of conjugal relationships with special reference to males who have transmitted HIV to their wives. Based on semi-structured interviews with 10 serum-positive males who transmitted the disease to their wives, the following thematic categories have been identified: a) male wage-earner who relegated partner's work as secondary income; b) active-passive dialectics which counterpoints the contemplative traits of female roles to an initiative-taking one, considered a male role; c) naturalization of male infidelity, with gender asymmetry linked to male sexual freedom; d) female prevalence in caretaking, which emphasizes women's continence traits, naturalized by domestic attributions to women. Results show that important items may be presented towards the development of programs for the orientation and resistance against gender subordination within the context of the women's vulnerability to HIV-Aids infection.
HIV-Aids; vulnerability; gender roles