About half of Republican men say the don't plan to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, putting their family members at risk -- or forcing them to resort to bribery.
A recent poll sound 49 percent of self-identified Republican men don't plan on getting a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 92 percent of Democratic men who said the would or had already, and that refusal seems to be rooted in masculine insecurity, according to experts who spoke to The Lily.
"There is this idea among many men, especially Republican men, that they need to be strong," said Melissa Deckman, a Washington College professor who studies gender and politics. "They feel like they can take care of themselves, thank you very much."
The poll found 34 percent of Republican women did not plan to be vaccinated, compared to 14 percent of Democratic women -- who were more reluctant than Democratic men, of whom only 6 percent did not plan to get the shots.
Studies found that men who view their own masculinity as central to their identity were less likely to wear a mask, and one Republican who spoke to The Guardian seemed to validate Deckman's theory.
"I just feel that God created us, made our bodies in such a wonderful way that we can pretty much do our own immunization," said Ron Holloway, a 75-year-old Republican. "We're equipped to do that in most cases. I just don't see the need for it."
Some women have resorted to threats or bribery to convince the men they love to get vaccinated.
Montgomery Granger's wife, who also voted for former president Donald Trump, warned their family might not be able to travel to Disney World or other destinations unless they all were vaccinated, and he finally agreed to get vaccinated to avoid putting his elderly father-in-law at risk or disappoint his children.
"We've been together since August 10, 1985," Granger told The Lily. "We've built up enough trust. We know each other well enough to be able to tell when something is really important to the other."
