In Sub-Saharan Africa, women are at a higher risk of contracting HIV than men (UNAIDS). Unfortunately, there is very little research focused on the sub-population of married women in order to highlight how different risk factors affect them specifically and may place them at increased risk for HIV infection. This is especially important in the context of low condom use, childbearing and the trust inherent within many marriages. A comprehensive literature review of peer reviewed articles from 1990-2005 was conducted and revealed that there is little known about the effect of marital status on HIV risk. The major factors in the transmission of HIV within marriage are low condom use, education, migration as well as extramarital affairs. In order to further understand this population, data from the 2003 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (2003 KDHS) was analyzed. The results show that married women are not protected from HIV infection and had a slightly higher risk compared to never married couples (Odds Ratio=1.07, 95% CI=0.67-1.73) after controlling for age, place of employment, education and place of residence. Furthermore, working at home is associated with a significantly lower risk of HIV infection compared to working away from home (OR=0.70, 95% CI=0.52-0.96). There is an urgent need for follow-up studies of this population in order to further understand these risk factors. Education and HIV prevention programs need to be focused on this group, since they are not being protected by marriage.