Gender parity in vax: For every 10 women, 12 men got the jab in Pune district

Pune: As per the information from Covid vaccination app Co-WIN, more men have got the vaccine as compared to women

Pune: As per the information from Covid vaccination app Co-WIN, more men have got the vaccine as compared to women. For every ten women who got the jab in the district, the data shows 12 men have got the vaccine. Multiple reasons, including illiteracy and lack of awareness of even the lower decision-making capacity among women may make them less accessible to the vaccine, according to experts. The skewed ratio between men and women beneficiaries is almost the same across the state and the country with fewer women as compared to men getting protection against the deadly virus despite the fact that it is equally fatal for all genders.

HT Image

As of Wednesday evening, over 28 lakh people have got the vaccine as per the Co-WIN app, of which over 1.581 million are men and 1.311 million are women. Hence, about 10 women for 12 men. Multiple data also show that more men have been infected and even fatalities among men have been higher than women. However, when it comes to vaccination, it is essential that all beneficiaries get the jab. As per the 2011 census, the district’s sex ration dropped from 919 female for every 1,000 men to 915 women for every 1,000 men. In 2011, Pune had a population of 9,429,408 of which male and female were 4,924,105 and 4,505,303 respectively. The skewed sex ratio could also reflect on the gender disparity.

Multiple factors especially in rural areas could have caused this, including vaccine hesitancy over myths about menstruation or fertility and added illiteracy makes it difficult to create awareness. Women also have less accessibility, mobility and also decision-making powers compared to men and this comparison is more stark in rural areas. Digital illiteracy among more women makes it difficult for them to get registered or book a slot on the Co-WIN platform, especially for the younger population aged between 18-45 years who would get the jab only upon online slot booking, the experts added.

The vax beneficiary count

For every 10 women who got the vaccine, 12 men got it in Pune district.

As of Wednesday, Co-WIN portal shows that in the district the total number of men and women who received the vaccine

Men: 1,579,675

Female: 1,310,549