1 Human Insecurity in Twenty-First Century China: The Vulnerability of Women to HIV/AIDS.∗

This paper uses the formidable global source of human insecurity HIV/AIDS, to argue that gender perspectives should become an integral part of mainstream human security discourse. The proposition of the paper is that while discussions on human security have attempted to encompass threats to humanity as a whole, interpretations of such threats have primarily been male-oriented and have largely failed to recognise the exceptional threats faced by women. In recognising that women face unique threats to their security, it is necessary that these additional threats become incorporated into mainstream discussions of human security, rather than being relegated to a sub category or a footnote. The unique vulnerability to HIV/AIDS transmission of women in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is examined in the context of this proposition, and evidence is offered to support the argument that a gendered analysis of human insecurity is certainly relevant and necessary in mainstream human security discourse. Defining Human Security Since the 1990s, the discourse on security has profoundly changed. Rather than a more traditional, narrow interpretation of security, primarily focusing on nation-states instead of people, a human dimension, known as human security, has been added. This is largely the result of a growing awareness that, for many people around the world, the concept of security is not based on issues pertaining to the nation-state but on feelings of insecurity which arise ∗ This paper was presented to the 15th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association o