- It is quite well known that the patriarchy and the deeply embedded typical Indian belief system of upholding male hegemony go together are stating the obvious. Despite innumerable attempts at getting rid of the centuries-old despicable practices, our society’s obstinate stand to not budge an inch from the anachronistic methodology defies logic in this age of unbelievable advancements. Women are still fighting for their natural rights, parity, equality, and wider acceptance even after dispelling every doubt whatsoever with awe-inspiring achievements simply does not fit into the modern narrative.
PC: Ashley Fetters
- Men receiving priority over women on matters of importance continues to this day though bombastic pronouncements proclaiming gender parity and concerted fight against misogyny keeps making rounds at regular intervals. Nothing has changed on the ground is a stark reality. For instance, look at the way how much-needed vaccination jab is administered to women specifically to combat the virulent SARS-Cov-2 virus. As you are aware, it has taken several months for the health authorities to even consider granting permission to vaccinate pregnant women despite evidence and data suggesting they had become the leading cause of maternal deaths in the dreaded second Covid wave owing to pregnancy complications.
- Note that we are already behind in granting the go-ahead, unlike other European and Western countries that would have otherwise saved the precious lives of the mother as well as many unborn babies. It is a well-known fact that women scarcely receive much-needed attention on matters related to health and as such, it is incumbent to make sure that the pandemic does not worsen the inequality being perpetrated to even greater levels. By granting go-ahead now, the health authorities must be geared to do a lot of catching up as the looming threats of the third Covid wave increasingly appear imminent.
PC: Ali Hassan
- Looking at the vaccination statistics amply demonstrates a worrying gender gap which is not only crying for attention but also promptly cries to plug wide regional disparities as well. Forget about pregnant women even otherwise the vaccination drive is heavily skewed in favor of men as available statistics demonstratively suggest. Sample this, women have got 52% of the doses in Kerala vs 43% in Uttar Pradesh. In Himachal Pradesh, women have got 51% of the jabs as compared to only 9.4% in Bihar clearly defining the disparity in the vaccination drive as well.
- Vaccine hesitancy is still prevalent considerably slowing down the overall efforts. Now that the initial hesitancy factor has paved way for acceptance amongst the citizens, witnessing a hitherto lacking rush to get inoculated, supply-side challenges are bogging down the immunization drive reaching its intended target. As such, the authorities are advised to come out with innovative ideas like rolling out women-only vaccination camps, and more specifically targeting pregnant women ensuring the vulnerable category is also covered satisfactorily. For all this to fructify, it is imperative adequate vials of vaccines are made available to states consistently. The race to beat the third wave begins in right earnest.
