COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Female Healthcare Workers: A Look at the Gender Gap

Background: Females are often more hesitant to get vaccinated than males, even among health care workers (HCWs). The purpose of this study was to assess female HCWs' COVID-19 vaccination coverage and their anti-vaccination attitudes. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire. It included HCWs from various professions and examined participants' sociodemographic and work-related variables, anti-vaccination attitudes, and COVID-19 vaccination uptake. Anti-vaccination attitudes were assessed using the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale. We computed vaccination coverage and assessed its predicting factors using descriptive and analytical statistics, including multivariable models. Results The vaccine coverage was significantly lower among female HCWs [59.6% (95%CI: 55.5%-63.7%)] than males [74.9% (95%CI: 70.7%-78.8%)]. Female HCWs had significantly higher anti-vaccination attitudes and lowered perceived COVID-19 vaccine knowledge. Vaccine uptake was shown to be age-related in female HCWs, with 52.7% in the less than 30-year age group and 70.7% in the ≥50-year age group. Higher monthly income and smoking status were significant predictors of female HCWs vaccine uptake. Conclusions vaccine coverage is significantly lower among females with higher anti-vaccination attitudes. Historical scepticism towards vaccination, mistrust of the medical literature, and the myth of infertility could be possible reasons.