Taking cognisance of a media report highlighting low uptake of anti-COVID jabs among women, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has written to chief secretaries of all States and Union Territories to take measures to close the gender gap in vaccination.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said the gap in immunisation coverage between the two genders is a matter of great concern for the Commission.
"There is an urgent need to increase the proportion of women coming to vaccination booths for receiving the vaccine so that the gap in immunization coverage can be corrected," she said.
The letter also mentions that there is a need to create public health awareness so that more and more women are vaccinated on priority.
The media report had highlighted that the current gender gap in administering vaccines is significantly more among the elderly population than the younger females. It reflects the existing gender stereotypes in the society due to which women are being left behind and the reasons include unequal access to resources and technology for both gender, reads the letter.
In the letter, NCW has mentioned that in many households, women's health is not considered a priority as compared to men if they do not work outside the home and end up getting less preference for vaccination. However, women being the primary caregivers are more likely to get infected while taking care of any sick member of the family.
The NCW has written that the Centre has been running intensified vaccination drives to reach every nook and cranny of the country along with regular campaigns to dispel misinformation and rumours about any side-effects of the vaccine. The state government should also continue the campaigns so as to ensure correct information reaches the remotest part of India, it said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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