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Abstract

As disagreements rage about the source of the Covid-19 virus, one universal consensus has been established. It is that humanity’s surest guarantee to curbing and mitigating the deadly pandemic is the discovery and wide administration of a vaccine to prevent infection, serious illnesses, and hospitalizations etc. As different countries grapple to roll out the covid vaccine, the world is confronted by another virus that could prove to undermine efforts at curbing Covid-19. Vaccine misinformation is playing into the hands of anti-vaccine groups who are taking advantage of social media platforms that are easily accessible and devoid of editorial gatekeeping to propagate often unfounded rumors about vaccine efficacy and safety. As a result, today, vaccine hesitancy is undermining the efforts put in place to fight the virus. Despite this, today the UAE is among the top three countries in the world with the highest vaccinated population.

This paper attempts to provide insight into the uptake of Covid vaccine among Emirati women. The paper assumes that the decision to take covid vaccine or not is, among others, a product of information and perception. Given the centrality of social media as a source of information to most people in the UAE, we inquire into its role in shaping perceptions and attitudes on the covid vaccine among Emirati women. Our findings reveal that over 84% of respondents are vaccinated and factors that account for such vaccine uptake among Emirati women are both general and specific and center around communication and government policy.

The paper concludes that contrary to established stereotypical images of Middle Eastern, Arab, Muslim women as passive and laid back, the attitude of Emirati women towards the vaccine brings to fore the role of women in social change thereby challenging established stereotypes.

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