As India crosses another milestone of administering 22 crore cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses, a closer look at the statistics reveals a gender gap in the inoculation process as most states vaccinate more men than women. As of June 2, 21,85,46,667 doses of Covid vaccines have been administered in the country. This includes both the first and second doses. So far, the number of men vaccinated with at least one dose is 15 percent higher than the number of women who have been inoculated. This means that just 867 women were vaccinated for every 1,000 men who were. This is even lower than India’s gender ratio, as reported by The Print.
India’s population ratio is 940 females to 1,000 males, according to the 2011 census. As of 2015, the ratio was 900 females per 1,000 males, according to Niti Aayog. As of 2 June, the number of men vaccinated stands at 9,13,81,749, while 7,92,31,870 women have been inoculated with at least one dose. This means of the total population vaccinated so far, 53 per cent are men.
Kerala, the state which has the highest sex ratio in the country (967 females per 1,000 males), is also the state that has performed the best in ensuring that its female population gets vaccinated. For every 1,000 men vaccinated in the state, 1,125 women got vaccinated. Chhattisgarh follows a similar trend. For every 1,000 men vaccinated in the state, 1,045 women have received the shot. In Himachal Pradesh, 1,003 women have been vaccinated against every 1,000 men.
The biggest gender disparities in vaccination were found in Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, and Delhi. Meanwhile, the number of trans people who have had at least one Covid vaccination shot is as low as 26,793.Jammu & Kashmir has the biggest gender discrepancy among states, even after having vaccinated 67 percent of its population aged 45 and up. Only 709 women have been immunised in the state for every 1,000 men who have taken the vaccine. Following that is Nagaland, where just 714 women were vaccinated for every 1,000 men who received the vaccinations. Delhi is one of the states with a vaccination disparity between men and women. Only 725 women are vaccinated for every 1,000 men in the city. This is in stark contrast to Delhi’s reported sex ratio of 869 females per 1,000 males.
In Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, where men account for nearly 56 per cent of those who have been vaccinated, the gender disparity is also evident. In Uttar Pradesh, 769 women are vaccinated for every 1,000 males who receive the Covid vaccine, whereas in Punjab, 754 women are vaccinated for every 1,000 males.
Other states that are doing well in terms of gender parity include Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Goa. Around 51 per cent of the total population vaccinated in these states are men.