The Social Consequences of HIV/AIDS for African American Women: An Ethnographic Study

Principal Investigator: Celeste Watkins-Hayes

This ethnographic study explores the social experiences and
processes of Chicago-area African-American women infected with
HIV/AIDS. Researchers are increasingly documenting the social
context of infection risk and the ways in which systems of
inequality result in disproportionate infection rates among
disadvantaged groups.  However, we know very little about the
everyday experiences of those infected and the ways in which the
social and economic factors that perpetuate inequality also shape
their experiences living with the disease. By exploring a range of
domains in the women's lives such as work, family, social networks,
and intimate relationships, this study seeks to specify some of the
ways in which HIV/AIDS impacts their daily living, life chances, and
social outcomes. The ultimate goal of this research is to highlight
some of the social consequences of HIV/AIDS for this population by
exploring the short- and long-term social effects of the disease on
the well-being of the women and their families.

Funding Source: Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, HIV-Prevention
Research in Minority Communities Collaborative Program Study Grant

For More Information Please Contact: c-watkins@northwestern.edu

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