The relationship between reproductive rights and prevalence of HIV among women in developing countries

Abstract

The rate of HIV infection among women in the developing world is rising. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a reproductive rights approach to reducing HIV rates among women in the developing world. Researchers proposed that reproductive rights mediated the relationship between gender equality and HIV rates. Data from 142 developing countries were used to test the proposed model. Researchers did not find that reproductive rights mediated the relationship between gender equality and HIV rates. However, researchers found a positive relationship between reproductive rights and HIV rates in women lending support for a reproductive rights approach to reducing HIV infection in women.