Individualizacion y sexo transaccional: Estrategias de supervivencia de las mujeres sudafricanas en tiempos del VIH/SIDA/Individualization and Transactional Sex: Survival Strategies of South African Women in Times of HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 29% of African pregnant women amongst 15-49 years old were HIV positive in 2006. They acquired the HIV by heterosexual relationships. In general population, in 2006 about 24% of the African women amongst 15-49 years old were infected by HIV or suffered from AIDS. So, it is necessary to analysis the historical construction of gender relations in order to understand theses figures. This socio-epidemiological behaviour is related with de individualization process of South African women in labour precarious condition in post-apartheid settings. The apartheid institution segregated spatial, social, economical and sexually most African women. After the democratic election in 1994 the "re-modernization" process created the condition for HIV spread amongst young women. In this paper an intricate social, economical, cultural an effective dynamic of transactional sex is analysed in order to show up how the women individualization process has made them especially susceptible and vulnerable to HIV. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]