Lost in the Fray: State HIV/AIDS policies in South Africa and their impact on women

This paper examines the situation of women regarding HIV/AIDS in South Africa and the apparent impact of the state's policies. It identifies policies and trends in the context of the stakeholders, constraints, resources, and capacities as well as such external factors as bilateral and multilateral policies. Given that South Africa is the country with the largest number of HIV/AIDS-affected people worldwide, and that the majority are women, this paper suggests that the policies, although established in nearly all sectors, are relatively small and piecemeal and require a significantly more coordinated, women-inclusive, large-scale effort to effectively combat the disease.