Cultural Practices and Prevalence of HIV/AIDS among Nigerian Women: A Case Study of Lafia, Nigeria

Abstract

One of the greatest problems in the world today is the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has and is ravaging families and communities. Women and children constitute the largest percentage of the number of victims recorded. The objective of the research is set to expose the cultural practices that enhance the prevalence of HIV/AIDS on Nigerian women. The survey method was employed using questionnaires as data gathering instrument to acquire relevant information related to the research topic. The sampling procedure used was the purposive random sampling, 200 female respondents were selected for the study. Research findings reveals that cultural practices like polygyny and the culture of male dominance are indeed the leading cause of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Cultural practices such as polygyny, levirate marriage, female genital mutilation, child marriage, amongst other practices have made women more susceptible to the HIV infection compared to men. The researchers therefore recommend that women should be empowered through education and also enlightened on their sexual reproductive rights.

Keywords: Cultural practices, polygyny, Women, prevalence, HIV