Decomposing gender gaps in HIV service outcomes

TL;DR

This study explores why men have worse HIV outcomes than women in 13 African countries and identifies factors like stigma and gender norms as key barriers.

Contribution

The study uses the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method to quantify and analyze gender disparities in HIV outcomes across multiple indicators.

Findings

Males have poorer HIV outcomes than females in awareness, treatment, and viral suppression.

Structural barriers like stigma and gender norms significantly contribute to the gender gap.

The gender gap in HIV outcomes has decreased over time, especially due to improvements in structural barriers.

Abstract

This study uses Population-based HIV Impact Assessments survey data to examine factors associated with gender disparities in HIV outcomes. The analysis examined the share of adult males and females living with HIV who are aware of their status, are on treatment and have achieved viral load suppression across 13 African countries. The study then used the Blinder-Oaxaca statistical method to decompose these gaps into three core elements: (1) the part caused by observed differences in characteristics between the two groups, (2) the part caused by unobservable differences between the groups, often attributed to structural barriers and (3) the unexplained portion of the gap. The study then compares how these gaps and decompositions have changed over time. The model confirms that males have poorer outcomes than females across all three indicators. Factors contributing to these gender disparities include individual-level characteristics such as age, education and wealth, as well as structural barriers such as stigma, restrictive gender norms and lower health service utilisation among men. Although males generally possess more protective individual-level characteristics, these structural barriers offset their advantages, resulting in poorer outcomes across all indicators. The gap in service outcomes between men and women has decreased over time, with structural or cultural barriers showing the greatest improvement. Additional investment in and evaluation of male-friendly services is essential to understand what interventions have contributed to decreasing this gap. This knowledge should be used to inform future investments to support individual-level treatment outcomes and prevent new infections.

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