Gender Differences in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Related Beliefs and Practices of Orthodox Jews in Montreal: An Exploratory Study

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
Gender Differences in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Related Beliefs and Practices of Orthodox Jews in Montreal: An Exploratory Study
Abstract
The author points out that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the disproportionate impact of communicable diseases on minority groups, including the Orthodox Jewish community. She notes that men and women experienced the pandemic differently as evidenced by the ratio of male to female cases and deaths being 0.88 and 1.30 respectively, based on data collected from the World Health Organization from 186 countries as of August 21, 2023. She also notes that gender consists of socially constructed norms that determine roles, relationships, and positional power in society. In cultures where women take on the role of primary caregivers, men may be less aware of health information and less motivated to locate such information. No studies have been conducted thus far on the role of gender in understanding the differential experiences of COVID-19 within Orthodox Jewish communities. The author explains that gender roles are strictly defined in this community and align with biological sex. With its breadth of sub-groups and specific gender roles based on Jewish Law, the Orthodox Jewish community of Montreal presented an ideal opportunity for the author to investigate the relationship between gender and communicable disease impact on minority groups. The author’s objective was to investigate the role of gender in the differential reporting of COVID-19 experiences, including levels of trust, public and healthcare satisfaction, and compliance with public health measures within Orthodox Jewish communities in Montreal. The author’s cross-sectional study is embedded within an interdisciplinary mixed methods project conducted in partnership with the Orthodox Jewish community of Montreal. Her data were obtained from a modified version of the COVID-19 Immunity Taskforce Core Data Elements Survey. Her convenience sample includes adults who intended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine; data were collected at baseline between June 23, 2021 and May 25, 2022. The author explains that the main outcome measures were compliance with COVID-19 public health measures and levels of trust in different authorities. Other outcomes were levels of satisfaction with public and healthcare services. Responses were elicited using likert-type scales. Analyses were performed using R Studio 4.2.2. Descriptive statistics were undertaken and compared by gender for all outcome measures. Inverse probability of treatment weighting using propensity scores and weighted Poisson regression models were used to determine the relationship between gender and the overall compliance and trust scores. Weighted logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of gender on individual compliance and trust measures. Predictive modeling was undertaken to determine the difference in compliance between women and men. Bootstrapping was used for accuracy to compute 95% confidence intervals. The results of the author’s sample consisted of 239 adults, including 128 men and 111 women. The mean age of participants was 35 years in women and 36 years in men. Women reported greater levels of trust in the Quebec government (66% vs. 41%), Public Health Institutions (68% vs. 43%), and individuals outside the community (80% vs. 74%). The level of trust in the Federal government (57% vs. 56%) and their community (98% vs. 98%) was similar between women and men. Women also reported higher levels of satisfaction with health (68% vs. 54%) and public services (82% vs. 72%) than men. Women had a 0.75 to 1.44 (95% CI 0.10-2.60) higher overall compliance score than men. The compliance measure that showed the most significant and statistical difference between women and men was avoiding common greetings (18%, 95% CI 6-30%). Women also had a 0.80 (95% CI 0.35-1.21) higher overall trust score than men. The only trust measure that showed a statistically significant difference between women and men at the 5% type 1 error was trust in the Quebec Government (16%, 95% CI 1%-32%). The author concludes that women expressed greater overall compliance with public health measures, higher levels of satisfaction with health and public services, and greater levels of trust than men. Differences in gender roles in the community may explain these findings. To achieve greater compliance, public health interventions should consider the intersectional aspects of minority group experience, in this case, the combination of religion and gender.
Type
Master's Thesis
University
McGill University
Place
Montreal
Date
2023
# of Pages
105p.
URL
Language
en
Citation
Bent, Natoya. “Gender Differences in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Related Beliefs and Practices of Orthodox Jews in Montreal: An Exploratory Study.” Master’s Thesis, McGill University, 2023. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/concern/theses/zc77sw70f.
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