Today it has been estimated that 40 million people worldwide are carrying the deadly virus known as HIV. Despite the fact that the virus can affect men and women alike, an increasing proportion of people living with HIV are women and girls, and this proportion is continuing to grow. This writing is dedicated to explore the factors that drive the epidemic.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the links between gender inequality and women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS as well as to enhance our understanding of what is it like to be a young woman in Zambia, a country where the HIV/AIDS epidemic has hit hard. The research is done through a qualitative study with secondary sources and interviews as means of collecting data. The point of departure is theories of gender inequality, where the patriarchal structures and men's domination over women are explained.

The result of this study is that gender inequality, the subordination of women and men's predatory behaviour are major contributors of the epidemic, the larger numbers of women with HIV/AIDS and the women's younger age.