advertisement
(This was first published on 4 June 2021. It has been republished from The Quint's archives over prevailing gender gap in COVID-19 vaccination in India.)
Four and a half months after India began its inoculation drive against COVID-19, the country has vaccinated over 1.2 crore more men than women with at least one dose of vaccine – exposing a gender gap in the vaccination programme.
But, why are more men getting vaccinated than women?
“Vaccination-related gender disparity cannot be viewed in isolation,” says Dr Sanghamitra Singh, a health scientist and senior manager, Knowledge Management and Partnerships at Population Foundation of India. “If we look at historic trends around women’s health in India, we will notice that women’s health has never really been given as much priority in families or by women themselves.”
What makes matters worse is women’s lack of freedom of movement.
As per the fourth National Family Health Survey, 2015-16, only 40 percent women are allowed to go out alone, including to a health facility. “The differential vaccination trends between men and women are an extension of these pre-existing challenges,” Singh explains.
Further, the digital-first approach, especially for vaccination of the 18-44 cohort, and vaccine hesitancy among women could be among the contributing factors.
Speaking to The Quint, Anushree Jairath, Program Coordinator, Gender Justice, Oxfam India, said:
The fifth National Family Health Survey, released in December 2020, revealed that more than 60 percent women across 12 states have never used the internet. Less than 3 out of 10 women in rural India and 4 out of 10 in urban India have only ever used the internet.
In a survey conducted by Videologue and The Quint, where almost 50 percent of respondents were women – it was revealed that women are more suspicious of the vaccine with 61 percent of women expressing fear of the vaccine compared to 49 percent of the men.
The hesitancy could have stemmed from misinformation about the vaccine. From unfound rumours about vaccine disrupting women’s menstruation cycle, and other claims about the jab causing sterilisation – these are likely to have made a significant dent in women’s vaccine hesitancy, especially in semi-urban areas.
But, what is the solution then?
“The government should invest greatly in social and behaviour communication campaigns to address the misconceptions around vaccination, especially among pregnant, lactating and menstruating women. We must remember that as new information is available around COVID-19, the advisories from health experts are also changing, and not everyone is capable to constantly update themselves with verified information,” Population Foundation of India’s Singh tells The Quint.
Oxfam’s Jairath adds that the vaccination drive needs to be taken to women.
As per Co-WIN data, only three states in India have vaccinated a higher percentage of women than men.
In Chhattisgarh, 1,045 women have received the vaccine for every 1,000 men who got theirs. Although a minuscule difference, Himachal Pradesh too has 1,003 women receiving immunisation for 1,000 men.
The widest, biggest gender disparity in the vaccination drive was found in Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland and Delhi, followed by Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
In Nagaland, where over 1.3 lakh men have received their jab, only 94,000 women have.
The picture is dismal in India's national capital as well. While the sex ratio in the city is 869 women to 1,000 men – only 725 women are receiving the jab for every 1,000 men getting the same.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: 04 Jun 2021,02:14 PM IST