Gender Inequality Contributes to Women's Vulnerability to HIV During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

. Gender inequality is believed to have exacerbated the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women. Gender inequality during the pandemic, which needs special attention is violence against women in the personal sphere. This research is a qualitative research which is library research. The data analysis technique used is content analysis method. There are two sources of data in this study, namely primary sources and secondary sources. The data presented is data in the form of words that require processing to be concise and systematic. While the writing instrument in this study is a check list for the classification of writing materials, writing schemes/maps and the format of writing notes. Violence against women in the personal sphere in the form of physical violence followed by sexual, will have an impact on women's vulnerability to HIV. This is caused by socio-cultural factors so that when experiencing acts of violence women rarely fight because the control or dominance of men is higher than that of women. If they want to leave, they are hindered by economic conditions because most women are economically dependent on men. In addition, they are also hindered by regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic. In situations of stress due to the violence experienced, women generally cannot refuse unsafe sexual relations with their partners for fear of being threatened or subjected to other forms of violence. This makes women have no power to recommend the use of condoms in sexual intercourse even though they know that the shape of their genital organs is like an open vessel so that it is easier for the virus to enter through small cuts or abrasions or the entry of sperm fluid into the vagina.