Parenting in Risk Society: Vaccine Decision of Parents for Their Children During Covid-19 Pandemics

Abstract

The current study is a literature review to analyze the parents' burden in deciding to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, during the pandemic while utilizing Ulrich Beck's risk society term. The definition, perception, and experience of risk in society are all important and developing topics of risk studies in the social sciences. According to Beck's idea of risk society, risk is a human construct that takes many forms due to technological advancement and global influence. Parents are primarily responsible for protecting their children against risks that have been amplified or otherwise attenuated. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased parental obligations by making the heightened risk a reality. These responsibilities include preventing contamination and vaccinating children. As the vaccines are promptly developed for a new disease, it is also seen to be risky. The study concludes that the COVID-19 vaccine decision is a recent and significant parental responsibility because of the risk society, which attributes the protection of individuals against primarily human-made and global threats. Moreover, opinions toward vaccination rely on several variables, including confidence in institutions, the health concerns associated with vaccination, and the influence of the virus on young children.