The status of migrant women and the impact of immigration policies in terms of granting legal status determine the economic, social, and sometimes health conditions of women affected by HIV as well as their social relations. The difficulties of acquiring a residence permit, obstacles to professional activity, and forms of discrimination linked to being HIV-positive make the risks of precariousness, exclusion, and exploitation related to gender and origin more acute. Based on a qualitative fieldwork conducted in Switzerland, this article describes the typical trajectory of an HIV-positive sub-Saharan woman caught in the chain of forms of migration-related domination. The intersectional analysis of this journey highlights the interdependence of forms of inequality and the effect of these inequalities on the trajectories of migrant HIV-positive women.
Keywords
- Sub-Saharan women
- Intersectionality
- Migration
- Sexuality
- Health
- HIV
- Inequality