Women (n = 83) and men (n = 131) enrolled in the study were similar with respect to race, educational level, marital status, and employment status. Women with HIV were more likely than men to have children (80% vs. 25%, p = 0.001) and spend their time as primary caregivers for their children (22% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.001). Women had higher CD4(+) cell counts (378 +/- 287 vs. 243 +/- 252 cells/microl, p = 0.0002), and a smaller proportion of women than men had AIDS at baseline (41% vs. 62%, p = 0.002)