Ethics of Care by Marian Barnes Tula Brannelly Lizzie Ward & Nicki Ward

Author:Marian Barnes, Tula Brannelly, Lizzie Ward & Nicki Ward
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Policy Press
Published: 2015-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

Contours of matriarchy in care for people living with AIDS

Anke Niehof

Every distinct account of care brings with it a particular focus, and it is desirable to have many such accounts. (Tronto, 2013, p 20)

Introduction

The conventional attribution of the values of caring and nurturing to women results in the stereotypical image of women as ‘natural caregivers’ (Miers, 2002). Tronto (1993) refers to this framing of care as ‘women’s morality’ and warns that it turns care into a ‘parochial concern of women’ instead of‘a central concern of human life’ (Tronto, 1993, p 180). In the account of care presented in this chapter the focus is on care for people living with AIDS in parts of sub-Saharan Africa with a high prevalence of HIV and AIDS. Even though the impacts of AIDS manifest themselves in different ways, prolonged and erratic care needs are a common feature. Care is provided mainly in the home and largely by women. At first glance, this may be viewed as just another case of women’s morality. However, in this chapter I shall present evidence indicating that women’s care for people living with AIDS also empowers them. This could encroach on the patriarchal order, turning care into a societal concern rather than only a parochial concern of women.

Within sub-Saharan Africa, there are substantial differences in HIV prevalence between countries. In West Africa prevalence is lowest, in southern Africa highest. Throughout the entire region female HIV prevalence rates are twice those of men (UNFPA, 2011, pp 112–14). This chapter focuses on evidence from South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. In Tanzania, for example, from 2000 onwards, female AIDS deaths consistently outnumber male AIDS deaths (Tanzania Country Report, 2012, p 11). As Barnett (2006, p 345) observes: ‘In mature epidemics women are affected by HIV/AIDS more than men.’ He warns that ‘assumptions about the availability of women’s labor and skills for household and farm work may not hold in the future’.

Barnett’s warning also applies to women’s availability as care givers. Overwhelmingly, women bear the brunt of the burden of caring for persons suffering from AIDS, and communities and governments depend on their doing so (Makina, 2009). In Africa, apart from the role of medical professionals in antiretroviral treatment or crisis mitigation, care for people living with AIDS (including palliative care) is provided mainly by women in the home. In a survey on time use it was found that in Tanzania women bear the main burden of ‘care of persons’ in 84% of the cases involving ‘active care’. The analysis distinguishes between a broader measure of ‘care of persons’ and a narrower measure of ‘active care’. The latter excludes supervision of those needing care and travel related to care, both of which are regarded as ‘passive care’ (Budlender, 2010a, p 59). In a similar survey in South Africa, half of the ‘already limited time’ men spend on care is for ‘passive care’ (Budlender, 2010b, p 84). But since surveys like these are scarce, most of the evidence on women’s role in care comes from micro-level studies.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.