Women's perspectives on religion and sex is the area I have recently begun to work on and I have a new project that will interview 32 African American and Latina women who regularly attend religious services.  The project is funded by Columbia University's School of Social Work and the HISTP program (please visit http://histp.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/ for more information). Although HIV is a big concern for women of color, there has been little outreach for women in religious organizations. In fact, I first became interested in this are of research after reading how HIV positive adult women discussed their feelings of religion in helping them make sense of their life mission after sero-converting. Furthermore, although research clearly demonstrates the importance of addressing women's power concerns vis-à-vis men, there are in many religious organizations a hesitation to discuss not only women's issues but also sexuality. My study will explore the experiences of women in religious organizations with regard to gender roles, sexuality and the possibility of conducting women-specific HIV prevention programs in religious organizations. Although findings are not yet available, I hope to use the research to work on a larger project that will help women unify their religious values with one of personal safety in their sexual relationships. Below are some facts that are guiding the project:

Women and HIV in the US: African Americans make up 12% of the US population; however, they account for 50% of the over 1 million individuals diagnosed with HIV. The HIV rates for African-American women were 19 times the rates for White women during the years 2000 to 2003. Although Latinos represent 13% of the US population they account for 18% of those infected with HIV. Between the years 2001 and 2004, 6,610 Latinas were infected. Although this seems like a small number, HIV rates are greatly underestimated for Latinas. Many Latina women are unable to receive health care due to immigration status, lack of funds, language barriers, parental barriers or familial obligations. Due to the limitations Latinas face in receiving healthcare, many are infected with HIV and do not know it. Both Latinas and African-American women are more likely to be infected through sex with male partners, making safer sex negotiation a priority. 

Religion and Gender: Because women are more likely to have a stronger personal religious commitment and attend church more frequently than men regardless of religious affiliation, religious organizations seem like an ideal location to diffuse HIV prevention messages to women. However, religious beliefs may run counter to proven-effective HIV prevention messages relating to female empowerment vis-à-vis male partners. Women who score higher on femininity scales such as the Bem Sex Role Inventory also score higher on religiosity measures such as spirituality and church attendance. A study found that women who are religiously devout endorse more traditional attitudes toward gender roles than their counterparts who are less religiously committed. Another study found that those who reported higher religious orthodoxy were more likely to endorse forced marital sexual intercourse.