Research on the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for a more gender equitable approach to a vaccine response. As public health agencies around the world work to ensure that everyone has access to vaccines, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) actors must recognize and address the different ways in which gender can impact vaccine acceptance and uptake.
Breakthrough ACTION developed the Gender Analysis Toolkit for Vaccine Response for RCCE actors working with national health authorities and other partners to develop, implement, and monitor a vaccine response. This toolkit provides practical guidance to identify gender related barriers that need to be addressed and identify opportunities that can be leveraged to enable a gender equitable vaccine response that increases coverage for all. While Breakthrough ACTION developed this toolkit based on improving uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, it is applicable for any vaccine response.
The toolkit includes:
- Evidence on the importance of considering gender in a vaccine response.
- Step-by-step guidance and tips for conducting a gender analysis.
- Worksheets to collect, organize, and analyze existing information and make recommendations across three RCCE pillars: RCCE systems for emergencies, Risk communication, and Community engagement.
- An illustrative gender analysis based on a country’s COVID-19 vaccine response.
- Additional resources for integrating gender in RCCE activities.
