Women’s Agency and HIV/AIDS Knowledge Deprivation: An Analysis of Married Women in Bangladesh

HIV/AIDS knowledge deprivation fosters fear, discrimination, and stigma and, thus, reduces the impact of prevention efforts. This article investigates the socioeconomic determinants of HIV/AIDS knowledge deprivation in Bangladesh, a country largely affected by HIV incidence, using the 2011 and 2014 waves of the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. To analyze the factors impacting the unequal distribution of HIV/AIDS knowledge deprivation among socioeconomic groups, the study proposes a multidimensional knowledge deprivation index and constructs a knowledge deprivation concentration index. Results show that the concentration of knowledge deprivation among the most disadvantaged groups (those with low household wealth) significantly correlates with the concentration of women’s empowerment among the least economically disadvantaged. These findings highlight the role of institutional support for programs improving women’s agency as an important complement to programs that focus on traditional forms of deprivation and disadvantage.HIGHLIGHTS In Bangladesh, women are disproportionally exposed to the risk of HIV/AIDS.Multidimensional HIV/AIDS knowledge deprivation is concentrated among disadvantaged women.Key prevention strategies are those focused on knowledge deprivation.Policies targeting women’s education and employment will reduce the risk of infection.Women’s empowerment and agency improve HIV/AIDS knowledge deprivation.