Poverty continues to be blamed as the number one cause of the high HIV/AIDS prevalence among Ugandan women. This is closely followed by cultural beliefs and norms that put most women at a disadvantage compared to men.

According to Florence Buluba, the Executive Director of the National Community of women Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda, NACWOLA, culturally women are looked at as inferior with no powers or rights. She says this perception and belief has rendered a lot of women vulnerable to contracting HIV.

The Uganda Health Indicator survey 2011 shows that women still have the highest HIV prevalence rates among women has increased from 7.5% to 8.3% among women compared to an increase from 5 to 6.1% among men.

Buluba says because of poverty, women do not have a say or control over the number of spouses a man should have, since they look at the men as their only source of survival and many women do not want to change the status quo.