Intersectionality of gender, class and race, and vulnerability of black female adolescents to STD/AIDS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To verify the vulnerability to HIV/AIDS of female adolescents that live in poor communities of the city of Rio de Janeiro. METHODS: It was carried out with quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative phase was a cross-sectional study, through interviews of 816 adolescents and clinical/laboratory tests in ten different slums, and the qualitative phase was done on one focus group about sexuality of gender and race in each community. RESULTS: 74% of the adolescents were black, 39% had sexual activity and 24.4% of those had STD. A statistical significant association occurred between the black color/race and sexual activity. In the qualitative stage, it became evident that racial discrimination occurs every day and contribute to a negative self-concept. This, in addition to poverty, violence based in gender and bad access to health services, creates a vulnerability context to STD/AIDS. CONCLUSION: This study suggests policies that offer more gynecologic services to this public, with actions that favor the use of feminine condom and contribute to the reduction of social, gender, and race inequality.