Policy

Existing gender roles, norms and relations influence both the access and uptake of health resources, as well as the provision of health services, including immunization. Therefore, understanding the way gendered barriers interact with other socioeconomic, geographic and cultural factors is critical to ensure everyone at any age, despite their genders, can benefit from immunization. Gendered barriers operate at all levels, from the individual to institutional, and these were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an opportunity to further close the gap in immunization coverage, especially for marginalized and hard-to-reach communities in Asia Pacific, so no one is left behind in immunization programs.

Building a gender-responsive immunization program