Visible And Invisible

AIDS/HIV is not only a distinctive social problem, but also a distinctive gender issue. Starting from the perspective of gender, this study targets on the PLWHA (People Living with HIV/AIDS) in rural areas of central China, to discuss on the relation between gender and AIDS/HIV by using a combination of quantitative research and qualitative research.The study follows by three levels from the beginning while it analyses the influence gender has on the spreading of AIDS/HIV and the stroke AIDS/HIV has on the reconstruction gender on every level. Finally, the study concludes the relation between gender and AIDS/HIV, analyses the reconstruction process of gender theoretically and proceeds gender analysis on AIDS/HIV prevention and gives some suggestions.The analysis holds that gender influences AIDS/HIV in an all-around way regardless personal, group or social level. Gender has impacts on people’s risk of AIDS/HIV infection, post-inflection life and the re-transition of PLWHA’s risk of AIDS/HIV. As to the difference of infection risk between genders, the study sees that males are earlier than females, and to the post-inflection life, males make better living conditions than females, to the risk of PLWHA re-transfers, the males are more risky. Besides the fact that gender infects the spreading of AIDS/HIV, AIDS/HIV infects the reconstruction process of gender. Such infect, however, is distinctively characterized by phases. During the first phase--the common illness infection phase, people are largely ignorant on AIDS/HIV and the impact that AIDS/HIV has on gender reconstruction is relatively small. The impact mainly takes effect through the physical difference between genders herefore can be named as physical mode phase impacted by AIDS/HIV. As to the second phase, also known as acute infectious phase, people are panicking and scared of AIDS/HIV, and the stroke of AIDS/HIV has on gender reconstruction is quite distinctive. Since the stroke starts from spiritual panic, this phase can also be named as the spiritual mode phase of AIDS/HIV impacts. As to the third phase, the chronic disease phase, the public becomes less panic but calmer on AIDS/HIV, and the AIDS/HIV has much slower and subtle impact on gender reconstruction, which is much harder to detect. During this phase, the gender culture is challenged in the first place, therefore we name it as the social mode phase impacted by AIDS/HIV.Based on the analysis above, the study concludes the relation between gender and AIDS/HIV through time and space dimensions. The study shows that the relation between gender and AIDS/HIV can be separated into two phases, i.e. the unidirectional and bidirectional phases, in which the former only indicates the influence gender has on AIDS/HIV while the latter shows their mutual influence. In addition, the study reflects the transition from unidirectional influence to bidirectional influence is an inevitable trend--therefore the key subject for interpreting their relation is to pay close attention to the direction of gender reconstruction during the transition. AIDS/HIV can truly exemplify the inequity of gender, but it doesn’t worsen the reconstruction of gender. Theoretical analysis on the reconstruction of gender finds that such process is like a circle--starting from sex, and then consecutively goes through spiritual gender, gender, then back to sex. Such process can be formed up through paths like natural construction and social construction in accordance with the level of interference and self-consciousness.Lastly, the study reviews and analyses the evolution of AIDS/HIV prevention and treatment both domestic and abroad through gender perspective, and points out that the AIDS/HIV prevention and treatment still has significant gender inequity, i.e. the males, as the stronger side, lack willingness to protect themselves while the females, being weaker, are not able to protect themselves. In view of all the studies above, the thesis tells that the gender differences must be sufficiently envisaged for better AIDS/HIV prevention and treatment, that is, the males should shoulder more responsibilities and have their sense of social responsibilities improved; and the females should be strengthened with their social status, to promote gender mainstreaming and to improve the social equity.