Kickstarter

This project would be an extension of my previous research which was published in May 2012 in the journal Feminism & Psychology http://fap.sagepub.com/content/22/2/204.abstract. The previous research explored HIV risk among educated Black women in South Africa. This latest research project would investigate HIV risk among Black South African men. As a South African, researching issues that provide insight to HIV proliferation is very important to me, as South Africa has more infected people than any other country in the world. There are an estimated 5.5 million people living with HIV in South Africa (UNAIDS,2008), with reports of roughly 1500 new infections and 1000 deaths due to HIV every day (Olive Leaf Foundation, n.d.).

While the dialogue in many other countries is centered around men’s risk-taking behaviors being among the reasons for their short life expectancy, gender health research in South Africa is focused on female vulnerability, for South Africa is on a very short list of countries in which men’s life expectancy surpasses women’s; this is partly due to disproportionately high HIV prevalence rate of 17% in women in comparison to less than 5% in men (UNAIDS, 2008).

Gender health research in South Africa points to the central role male dominance plays in affecting female vulnerability to HIV, with some psychologists arguing in favor of male-centered research to understanding this trend, which is what I propose to do. As there are few studies that look at masculinity as it relates to illness/disease in Black South African men, I plan to research the role masculinity plays in regards to illness and disease. Specifically, I will look at what makes men seek or refuse treatment for HIV/AIDS, and what makes those who do seek treatment continue or discontinue it. I believe this research will shed further light on the issue of female vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Before embarking on this research topic, I would like to attend the International Congress in Psychology conference in Cape Town, South Africa (July 22 - 27, 2012) to meet and learn from world renowned scholars in my field. The money raised will be used to cover conference registration. I believe that by attending this conference, I will gain insight into the viability of my future research endeavors. The end goal for this research project is to get publication in a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal.

Thank you for your support on this project.

 References

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). (2008). Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic Executive Summary. Retrieved from http://data.unaids.org/pub/GlobalReport/2008/jc1511_gr08_executivesummary_en.pdf

Olive Leaf Foundation, (n.d.). South Africa. Retrieved from http://www.olf.org.za/region/south%20africa/