There is a need to understand how social and
cultural expectations of being a woman shape the
challenges women face when trying to access antiretroviral
therapy (ART) and to continue the treatment
over time. Based on a 7-month prospective study of
15 HIV-infected women, the particular challenges
met by these women in northern Vietnam are discussed
in this article. We argued that, by taking
ART to maintain their health and to fulfill their
responsibilities to family and community, the women
managed to reclaim the ‘‘moral worth’’ they had lost
as a result of having HIV infection. At the same
time, certain social and economic contingencies
related to ART made it difficult for the women to
uphold this moral position. The study demonstrated
the importance of understanding the meanings and
implications of ART in specific social contexts to
understand how social support structures could be established
to ensure treatment continuation.