Gender disparities drive unequal HIV impacts globally

New research highlights significant gender-based disparities in how HIV affects different populations. A study by the Foundation for Combating Infections, published in the journal Viruses, examined 588 individuals over age 50 in Spain. The findings indicate that women living with HIV experience higher rates of frailty (17% compared to 9% in men), musculoskeletal diseases, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbances, and cognitive complaints, despite being younger and having better immune status than their male counterparts.

On a broader scale, UNAIDS data from 2025 shows that women and girls account for 53% of all people living with HIV globally. This impact is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, where women of all ages accounted for 63% of transmissions. In this region, girls aged 15 to 24 are twice as likely to be infected as males of the same age. Experts attribute these trends to socio-economic inequalities and gender power dynamics, noting that many women face financial dependency that increases vulnerability to infection.