“ROLE OF MEDIA IN WOMEN’S LIFE”

A Project Submitted to the Department of Women‟s Studies,

Udayanath (Auto) College of Sc. & Tech., Adaspur
in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Women‟s Studies

Investigator
Rashmi Prava Behera
Roll No: UNWMS17002
Regd. No: 1701012520350131

Guided By
Mrs. Ipsita Pattanaik
Lecturer in Women’s Studies

DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN’S STUDIES

U.N.(AUTO) COLLEGE OF SC. & TECH.
PRACHIJNANAPITHA, ADASPUR
BATCH- 2017-20

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Guided By
Mrs. Ipsita Pattanaik
Lecturer, Department of Women‟s Studies

ROLE OF MEDIA IN WOMEN’S LIFE

BY
Investigator
Rashmi Prava Behera
Roll No: UNWMS17002
Regd. No: 1701012520350131
+3 Final Year Arts
Women‟s Studies Hons.

DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN’S STUDIES

U.N. (AUTO) COLLEGE OF SC. & TECH.

PRACHIJNANAPITHA, ADASPUR

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Mrs. Ipsita Pattanaik
Lecturer, Department of Women‟s Studies
U.N. (Auto) College of Science & Technology,
Adaspur, Cuttack

Supervisor’s Certificate

Certified that Rashmi Prava Behera, +3 3rd year Arts, Women’s

Studies (Hons.) Student has completed the project work entitled “ Role of
Media in Women’s Life” under my direct guidance strict supervision. This
project is fit for submission.

I wish her all the success in her life.

Date: Signature of Supervisor

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It gives me an immerse pleasure to acknowledge my heart full

thanks to Mrs. Ipsita Pattanaik, Lecturer of Women‟s Studies for her
constant help, valuable suggestion, guidance and affectionate dealings
without which this sort of work could not have come to light within
due time.
I am thankful to our Director Dr. H. Mishra for her constant
help & support.
I am also thankful to Mrs. Drishankha Dyutihikha H.O.D. other
faculty members of the department for their timely help & support.

I am thankful to our honorable principal Prof Daityari Singh to

take up this project work under his institution.

Last but not least I convey my heartily thanks to the different

authors from whose books I am benefited.

Signature of The Student

Roll No : UNWMS17002

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CHAPTER-I
INTRODUCTION

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1.0 INTRODUCTION:
Media is the buzz word of the era of globalization. In fact, the rapid
expansion of term and the concept of present form of globalization has been
made possible only through the information revolution throughout the world. It
has been widely recognized that media can play a substantial role in promoting
and disseminating information and are key players in the social and economic
development of women. Therefore, media largely reflects the life styles,
socialization patterns, participation levels, cultural boundaries, political
manoeuvrings, religious manifestations, educational standards, social hierarchy,
and of course, society images of any given society.As per the political scientist,
James Rosenau definition, "Media is a label that is presently in vogue to account
for peoples, activities, norms ideas, goods, services, and currencies that are
decreasingly confined to a particular geographic space and its local and
established practices.” In fact media can play a significant role in either
perpetuating or challenging social norms and behaviours that condone violence
against women. New media can be a platform for the objectification of women
and girls, from everyday hyper-sexualized, one dimensional images of women
and girls to overt violence.
Researchers report that women‟s magazines have ten and one-half
times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men‟s magazines.
Television and movies reinforce the importance of a thin body as a measure of a
women‟s worth. In recent reports over three-quarters of female characters in TV
are underweight, and only one in twenty are above average in size. Over weight
actresses tend to receive negative comments from male characters about their
bodies. Research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed
female bodies can be linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the
development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls. Twenty years ago
the average model weighed 8 percent less than the average woman, but today‟s
models weight is 23 percent less than the average women. The messages that

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the media sends to women about thinness, dieting, and beauty tells “ordinary”
women that they are always in need of adjustment, and that the female body is
an object to be perfected.
Emotional abuse is any behavior that is designed to control human beings
through the use of fear, humiliation, intimidation, guilt, coercion, or
manipulation. Emotional abuse is anykind of abuse that is emotional rather than
physical in nature. It can include verbal abuse, constant criticism, put-downs,
and constant disapproval.
1.1 MEDIA:
The term media is widely used as a short hand for „Mass Media‟. The
word media is type plural form of medium. Conceptually, the media are those
technological agencies which are engaged in the creation, selection, processing
and distribution of messages among the people. As a logical cannotation, the
mass media deal with the day to day problems of the nation and especially of
the general people. It contributes towards the emergence of mass society and
mass culture.

1.2 WOMEN AND MEDIA:

Information revolution, in its truest technical terms in India, is the latest

phenomenon. During the phases of economic liberalization in last one and half
decade, the overall scenario of media in India has changed tremendously. The
depiction of Women in Indian media, be it films, television serials, news,
media, visual advertisement, or modernized traditional media, is indeed an area
of great concern for people having interest in social science research and
studies. Some studies found have that social issues related to women (equality
of status and opportunity) got less than nine percent while sensational stories
relating to women which were invariably crime stories got between 52 and 63
percent of items in newspapers. (NitinJugranBahuguna) More disquieting is the
growing trend in media to portray women as victims.

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 Some recent studies of news stories show that sex and sensation is the
primary motivation behind the reportage. A study of four main English dailies
in India finds that women‟s issues accounted for little over two percent of the
total items in one of the dailies and even less in the other three. (Bahuguna).
Apart from the long and heated debate over the percentage of women in
legislative bodies, the situation of women in Indian society at large is a matter
of alarming consideration. There has been much criticism of Television
advertising of some commercial products like cigarettes, laxatives or articles of
intimate wearing apparel on moral grounds. Comments in newspaper articles
have found some of them objectionable and violating the requirements of good
taste and sometimes offensive, some objections have also been made to the
appearance of scantily clad women in some commercials (Ahuja & Batra). As
the tentacles of globalization have trespassed into the electronic media, the
advertising industry has been swept by the market forces with the result that
sexist display depicting women in demeaning manner has become the norm.

Though, it is true that the level of active participation and decision

making capability of women in each and every aspect of social and political life
in India has increased leaps and bounds, yet the overall conditions of women is
not so good. The depiction of women in Indian media is simply shoddy and at
times vulgar.

Commodification of women as a sex object has been relentlessly

portrayed in audiovisual media. The overtones of sexual equation are much
more explicit these days in our media. The orthodox presentations and the
conventional inhibitions seem to overpower the orientations of media planners.
The women in Indian media are depicted generally as scrupulous, religiously
intolerant, craving only for their own family, politically naïve, socially
inevitable and culturally ultra-modern. Some criticism of advertising using
women as sex objects can be seen in letters to the editor and very mild criticism

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of the cheapness and vulgarity in the display of women in advertising can be
found in our literature on media. Often the criticism of the advertising stems out
of big business game, believing the advertisements, rising prices and creation of
artificial needs. (Kumar) Serials are depicting women and young females
involved in conspiracy, premarital, extra-marital, post material illicit affairs,
wearing costly, heavy golden, and diamond jewellery, perpetuating their
religious fundamentalism, spending time is family feuds, suicidal love affairs,
mega parties, palatial houses, luxary cars, sleek mobiles, elegant, make ups,
little care about anything else than the individual matters, and at all not even a
word about the outside world.

Newspapers give place to the news related to rape, crime, politics,

scandals, sports and economics, serious debates and discussions on issues
related to women in general are completely missing. The columnists of the
newspapers are rarely females. Most of them who find place in the leader pages
are political activists or so-called socialites. In vernacular press the depiction of
women gets a share only in coloured pages where there is a lot of gossip about
actress of T.V. serials or film stars alongwith some hot pick-up and pinups. The
English press also dwells upon providing snaps of hot babes and erotic
photogallery of party-mania in multi star hotels. Even the photos of sports stars
are also provided in a manner that depicts their body attraction.

1.3 PORTRYAL OF WOMEN IN SOAPS:

The term "soap opera" was coined by the American press in the 1930s to
denote the extraordinarily popular genre of serialized domestic radio dramas,
which, by 1940, represented some 90% of all commercially sponsored daytime
broadcast hours. The "soap" in soap opera alluded to their sponsorship by
manufacturers of household cleaning products; while "opera" suggested an
ironic incongruity between the domestic narrative concerns of the daytime serial

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and the most elevated of dramatic forms. The defining quality of the soap opera
form is its seriality (Pingree and Cantor,1983). Examples of the open soap
include (The Guiding Light, etc.), the wave of primetime U.S. soaps in the
1980s (Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest), such British serials as Coronation Street,
East Enders, and Brook side), most Australian serials (Neighbours, Home and
Away, A Country Practice), and Indian soaps as BalikaVadhu, Uttaran Pavitra
Rishta enjoy immense popularity. The closed soap opera is more common in
Latin America, where it dominates primetime programming from Mexico to
Chile. In India, Geet, Dil Mil Gaye fall in this category. These "telenovelas" are
broadcast nightly and may stretch over three or four years and hundreds of
episodes. They are, however, designed eventually to end, and it is the
anticipation of closure in both the design and reception of the closed soap opera
that makes it fundamentally different from the open form. The term itself
signals an aesthetic and cultural incongruity: the events of everyday life
elevated to the subject matter of an operatic form.

The term 'soap opera" was coined by the American press in the 1930s denote
the extraordinarily popular genre of serialized domestic radio dramas, which, by
1940, represented some 90% of all commercially sponsored daytime broadcast
hours. The "soap" in soap opera alluded to their sponsorship by manufacturers
of household cleaning products; while ”opera" suggested an ironic incongruity
between the domestic narrative concerns of the daytime serial and the most
elevated of dramatic forms. The defining quality of the soap opera form is its
seriality (Pingree and Cantor‟.l983). ”Examples of the open soap include (The
Guiding light. etc.). the wave of primetime U.S. soaps in the 9805 (Dallas,
Dynasty. Falcon Crest), such British seriaLs as Coronation Street. East Enders.
And Brook side), most Australian serials (Neighbours. Home and Away. A
Country Practice). and lndian soaps as BaliImVadhu, Uttaran Pavitra Rishta
enjoy immense popularity. The closed soap opera is more common in Latin

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America. where it dominates primetime pmgramming from Mexico to Chile. In
India, Geet. Dil Mi! Gave fall in this category. Deriving from Simone de
Beauvoir's perception of woman as the "Other" to man, sexuality and woman-
rims has always been identified as a binaiy opposition that registers difference
between groups of people; differences which are seem—culturally manipulated
and transmitted in ways which cause one group to dominate the other
(Beauvoir. 2009). This sexuality and woman-ness of these women for women in
general) has always been fitted within male constructed stereotypes that through
their projections and appropriations has successfully kept lie "second sex" as the
domesticated subaltern it is interesting it is to note how popular TV serials
uphold and propagate these very not ions that unfortunately clog the path of
further emancipation land socio-cultural up-lifimen. With the nation claiming to
join footsteps in the march to globalization and modernization where the state
legislatives and judicial systems attempt to emancipate the marginalized women
in our society, it does seem a little bizarre to see contemporary TV serials and
soaps projecting women more as models of expensive costume-jewellery or
"jardousi'sarees. Moreover, the stereotypes used -that of a wronged wife, a
domineering mother -in- law, bitter relationships between sisters-in-law,though
bear resemblance with a certain reality of society fails to do justice with the
changing and shifting patterns of identity within household. They fail to
circumscribe all the career options that are now being taken up by Indian
women, new modes of lifestyle being adopted and remain entrenched in certain
deep-rooted notions that are hard to be erased away.

1.4 PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN ADVERTISEMENTS:

In recent years, Indian advertising has witnessed a significant transformation in

the manner in which women are portrayed. The way women are depicted in
advertising changes with times, reflecting the transformation taking place in

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society. Advertising is one of the major media that affect, our daily life
consciously and unconsciously and are responsible to play a significant role in
shaping the society in a much broader perspective. Women today are no longer
consolidated behind kitchen walls. Their aspiration for coming out of the door
also taught society to think differently. Marketer wisely utilized this
transformation process to launch their product and advertisement strategically.
Das (2000) examined the portrayal of women and men in Indian magazine ads
from a wide range of magazines in 1987, 1990, and 1994, Results indicated that
although the gender portrayals in Indian magazine ads have changed over the
period, they are still portrayed in stereotypical ways. Vela, (2007) examined
male and female stereotypes in Spanish magazine advertising during the last
three decades of the twentieth century. The results found that male and female
portrayals have undergone significant changes in the last 30 years through
gender stereotypes persist. Results also indicated that low and decreasing levels
of sexism in Spanish magazines. Dwivedy, (2009) examined the role portrayals
of men and women appeared in India„s most popular men„s, women's and
general interest magazines during October 2006 to April 2007. Ads were
content analyzed to identify the role portrayal patterns of male and female
across magazine types It was revealed that male and female are portrayed in
traditional roles. Men's magazines depict men and women in very traditional
role while women's and general interest magazines depict women in more
mordcn roles.

1.5 WOMEN IN MOVIES:

Hindi cinema has been a major point of reference for Indian culture in this
century. It has shaped and expressed the changing scenarios of modern India to
an extent that no preceding art form could ever achieve. Hindi cinema has
influenced the way in which people perceive various aspects of their own
lives. The movies that have three different points of view towards women. To

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some extent they identify areas where "modem feminism" comes into contact
,with "traditional values.' Films have also been inspired to a large extent
from religion and mythology whereby women characters were seen as the
epitome of virtue and values, those who could do no wrong. The image
of women as "S'ita"has been repeatedly evoked in many films after
independence. Over the past few years, much has been said about Hindi
Cinema breaking the stereotypes related to women and the
phenomenon of the Indian Woman 'coming-of-age'. It reminds us of a
few moments of the cinema of yore, when women were shown, not just in
shades of white or black, but also in different shades of grey. Now while the
Indian cinema" completes its I 00 glorious years let us not forget the ever
mesmerizing roles played by Meena Kumari in Sari/b BiwiAur Ghulam,
(1962) Nargis in Mother India (1957), Waheeda Rehman in Guide (1957)
just to name a few. Even the roles played by Kajol as Simran in DDLJ
(i995)or the role of Priyanka Chopra in Fashion (2008) are quite
commendable. The working woman vanished from the popular blockbusters
of the nineties which relegated Indian women to the boundary of the home.
Despite the progress that Bollywood films have made and the increasing
accessibility of these films, things haven't changed much for Indian
women, as objectification of women still continues in most of the Indian
movies in the form of item numbers or an explicit love making scenes. These
continuities are proof of the ongoing influence of Western neocolonialism, this
time invested in the circulation of cultural products that express
Western/racist ideals of women and felinity. Kumkum Roy in her essay
"Where women are Worshipped, there the Gods rejoice" locates the
'Jlindutva attempts at constructing an identity for the Hindu woman in
Manusmriti, an ancient Indian text. in women were equated to material
goods with men in command of them.

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1.6 WOMEN IN TELEVISION

In the era of cable and satellite television has become the part of everyday's
life in almost every level of socioeconomic strata. It is one of the vast and
widely accepted media in the developing world. The development of
satellite television in 1991 revolutionized the content and context of
television. There are a number of channels with specific content of
programmes like cartoon channels for kids, health channels, devotional
channels and channels especially for daily soaps (Zee TV, Colors, Star
Plus.). These channels showing daily soaps basically targeted the
housewives sitting at home in the afternoon. Women watch more daily soaps
than man (Jyotin, 2002). But the popularity of these daily soaps is not
limited only to these categories of women; many working women and male
also watch these serials regularly. The striking features of these serials is
that it portrays womeneither as vamps planning some conspiracy or an ideal
women who keep herself busy in performing household chores, whose main
aim is to make everyone happy over sacrificing herself. But it has no
relationship with reality. Though in few serials like "Balika Vadhu",
"Punarvivah', "Diya and Baati" has came up to raise the bold tabooed
issues related to women such as child marriage, widow remarriage and women
education. But being based on these themes ultimately, they portray the
submissive and sacrificing image of women simultaneously. It is also been
shown in these serials that when women possess the power or excel in
professions, the ego of males get hurt and gets webbed into all sorts of
insecurities and inferiorities. (Karthika.2005). These serials exaggerate a
selection of real life circumstances and assumptions. These types of
programme create a world which seems very real and viewers are unable to
differentiate between the contrived World and the real one.

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1.7 WOMEN IN PRINT MEDIA:

The print media include newspapers, ·periodicals, newsletters is one of

the oldest media and has been relied upon by the people as credible source
of information. The print media are known for fearless criticism and
service. Print media not only reflects the! values; prevailing in the society
but also provides platform for dialogue and discussions on issues leading to
social change (Kumar. P, 1995). No doubt that electronic media broadcast: the
issue immediately but print media creates a more persistent and lasting effect.

It has been observed that women issues generally do not get a chance to
come up on the front page. unless they are rape cases, crime, sexual
harassment, abuse of women or other atrocities. Even in news on issues
related to women they are presented as passive victims or passive reactors to
public event in news media. visibility of Women in news is widely
covered on some specific days like Mother's Day, Women's Day etc. One
day's news related to women generally occupied with sensational stories of
glamour, sex, domestic . violence and other forms of violence.

Besides Sunday and Saturday special glassy editions on women's leisure,

fashion, beauty and other luxurious news items with erotic photographs are
issued from time to time by daily newspapers (Dhar, Pattnaik ; 1996) . The
presentation of women in media has changed the perception of
perfection especially among adolescents. Perfection means being skinny
beyond healthy standards, and fit and beautiful for today's adolescents.
Ultimate impact of identifying themselves with these models of media
contributes to the growing rate of eating disorders among young women.
Many women now feel the need to be skinny and do so through drastic
measures, such as anorexia or bulimia (Morgan S, 2012).

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1.8 WOMEN IN FILM:

Films are the most complex way of communicating which may

include all aids like visual, sound and drama it has an advantage over the
print media and impressive impact well on illiterate audience, the movies are
made on different spheres like family social drama, romance, religious stories
and affairs of family and society. Its the most influencing medium with
whom the audience often gets carried away and any immoral
interpretation can have unethical impact on the society. The fact cannot be
denied that film has bought the change in perception of society to some
extent but still there is a dearth of awareness in society regarding the real
status of women. There has been a shift in depicting women in film story
from dancing around tress, making love with men, taking care of everyone in
the house, and bounded to behave like an ideal daughter, wife and
daughter-in-law. Over 75 years a change has emerged in feminists across the
respective lame "a new-wave" in the cinema has leashed Rao(l 989). In the last
decades many women role oriented films have come in which women are
shown breaking the barriers of stereotypical role such as in "Mardani",
"Lajrja". Many real life crime against women are also depicted through movie
such as "No one killed Jessica". The films like 'Mary kom' depicts the success
story of women.

But these kind of movies are so meager that they can be counted on
finger and they do not come in the list crossing 100 cores like a
commercial film showing women in songs, dance, in a situation of asking for
help and men fighting to protect women. This shows the stereotypical mindset
of the audience where they enjoy men and women in their traditionally
defined roles. Women are hardly shown as a working unless compelled by the
circumstances. She sits at home or show doing shopping even though she is
highly educated..Even if shown working then the areas get specified like
teachers, lawyers and receptionist. Working women often shown encountering

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sexual harassment and reinforces masculinity by media by Gallagher (1992)
Modem women shown in films is a complete transform. Of patriarchal tradition
women who is well educate beautiful independent but still needs a hero to
save her to save her from, petty thieves. New cinema and the portrayal of
women may lead to myth in society (Laxmil986).It is a prejudice mind-set that
women directors must create a film related to some feminine problems (Gupta
1994). In a study conducted on 'reading habits and perception of portrayal of
women by Nidhi Mittal ( 1999) where-she found out that the respondents
themselves felt that there is a need to change women's portrayal in magazines as
they were, shown more in subdued roles.

1.9 WOMEN JOURNALIST IN MEDIA:

In such a rapidly changing environment, women in media have a large

responsibility in not only changing attitude towards women but also
shaping public opinion. With women holding responsible position in
newspapers or electronic media, their competency should extend to a
wider area and a range of issues. More importantly, a woman journalist is
expected to .show more sensitivity to issues relating to women and to more
meaningful insights and perspectives.

Like most professions, in the media too, women have struck out
boldly, beating a path, which is both impressive and inspiring. The last five
years have seen them pouring out into the mainstream, acquiring hitherto
unattainable positions and proving their mettle, be it the print or the
television media. In short, women have become indispensable in the field.
Women's organizations and media groups must play an active role in
promoting this change. It is heartening that a wide variety of women's
media initiatives are making a positive impact. Women have been
latecomers in media profession owing to social, religious taboos which
operated as social sanctions. The employment of women in media assumes

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crucial importance at this juncture of our economic development. Beside
Independent Public Corporation of Media (DD&AIR), the private owners of
TV channels with ownership of Terrestrial outlets and satellite up linking
facilities in country itself have flourished. This has brought a boom in
employment thereby increasing the percentage of women media
professionals.

The rough estimates however show that although the number of

women in both the media has increased in absolute terms, their ratio to
men has more or less remained static. A deliberate policy for ensuring
adequate representation of women both in the public and private sectors of the
media is therefore a must, not only for giving women a source of
livelihood but also to ensure their adequate and effective representation, and
to make the media truly national and representative in character.
A significant number of women journalists are very successful in
magazines dealing with various problems of women and child. With
sensitivity and skill for analyzing events in depth, issues such as women
abuse and exploitation, harassment of women at workplace and the trauma of
HIV infected women, female infanticide in rural areas find a prominent place
in such magazines. The magazines deal with the issues more in depth
compared to newspapers and women are considered competent to handle
such stories. As per a study in the NCR there are around 900 women
journalists and even in cities like Chennai the number is impressive 200.
Journalism is no more a male domain. This new trend has also led to a
change in the portrayal of women in the media in general and newspaper in
particular. It will not be out of context to mention here the success of
'Khabar Lahariya'. A group of eight women belonging to backward class
bring out this paper from the Bundelkhand region. This paper which is
being funded by an NGO was started with an aim to encourage women to

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fight for their own rights, such kind of initiative are required in every
nook and comer of our country, so as ! to empower the women at grass
root level.
The risks women in the media face, both in the urban and rural areas,
have also to be seriously considered. As we move down, from the
metropolitan towns and the state capitals, the risks increase. "At the district
and taluk levels, from where the bulk of the print media is published, and
which are more news-worthy places for the local and regional news
contents, there is more conservation, more rigid social outlook and greater
resistance to social change and new trends. In these areas women join new
professions like journalism sparingly. In remote rural areas a woman
journalist and particularly a reporter is novelty not easily accepted and
assimilated in the social milieu. The result is media women have to work
almost in isolation particularly at the ground levels, if they are at all
employed. The cases of sexual assault and harassment of women reporters
are very often reported. Women in such cases have to take a calculated risk
in joining the profession. Odd hours of job make the women journalists
vulnerable. Recent murder of Ms. Soumya Vishwanathan, Producer of
News TV channel in Delhi shows women journalist workers are more
exposed to the risk of physical assault, even their life.
It is noticed that more and more young graduates are joining the
journalism degree and diploma courses, with an ambition to make a mark in
the profession, and quite a good proportion of them are girls. With the rapid
expansion, almost a proliferation of the electronic media through satellite
channels, with the popularity of the FM on the radio and with the growth of
the print media, notwithstanding the electronic media, now there is a good
scope for absorption of both men and women qualified journalists in
various media outlets. Women, young and old, are prepared to weather the
risks. The society, therefore, must make arrangements to provide adequate

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security to the vulnerable section of women in the media to promote their
participation at all levels.
I find extremely appropriate here to refer to thie recommendations
made by the Joshi Committee regarding positive portrayal of women on
Doordarshan. But these recommendations are equally relevant to all form of
media. These recommendations, if followed in letter and spirit would
certainly go in long way in enhancement of women's empowerment and
facilitate drastic reduction in cultural biases as well as gender biases. They
are;
1. The women's issue one of the utmost significance to the country as a
whole and there is need for a widespread understanding that the nation
cannot progress, as long as women are left behind as the lesser half of
society. Therefore, the improvement of women's conditions, status and
image must be defined to be a major objective for media channels.
2. The Government must at the earliest formulate clear guidelines
regarding the positive portrayal of women on television. This portrayal
must take note of women in all facts of their lives: as workers and
significant contributions to family survival and the national economy:
it must further endeavour to integrate women on terms of equality in
all sectors of national life and the development process. These
guidelines must emphasis that the "women's dimension" must from an
integral part of all programmes and not be merely confined to
Women's Programmes, nor to isolated attempts to discuss women's
issues.
3. The number of commercial formula films screened must be drastically
reduced, the cheap song-and-dance sequence totally eliminated and
the content of such programmes carefully scrutinized in terms of their
portrayal of women.

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 4. Women must not be portrayed in stereotyped images that emphasis
passive, submissive qualities and encourage them to play a
subordinate secondary role in the family and society. Both men and
women should be portrayed in ways that encourage mutual respect and
a spirit of give and take between the sexes.
5. The foreign exchange resource should be spent on importing
worthwhile educative programmes, particularly those that show the
roles, lives and struggles of women in neighbouring and other Third
World countries so that a greater understanding and a shared
perspective on problems is built.
6. It is necessary to ensure that a large number of rural women gain
access to TV. Therefore, in the placement of community TV sets
preference should be given to the meeting place of Mandals; Mahila
Mandals should also be involved m the community viewing
arrangement.

Everywhere the media has the potential to make a far greater

contribution to the advancement of women. They can create
self-regulatory mechanisms that can help to eliminate misleading and
improper gender based programming.

Media, which wields immense power in a democracy - a power which

is only expanding and not diminishing, needs carrying out a focused
attention about women- related issues and the portrayal of women. It is,
perhaps, necessary that the stabilizing force of women must be brought
home to the Indian people. In every family and society, there is an ethical
and spiritual space, which has been traditionally dominated by women.
The principal character in Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion bemoans, 'why can't
woman be like man!' The media can play a salutary and a liberating role to
give to the women the distinctive and the exclusive space, which must

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belong to them to enable them to generate the ethical and moralizing
impulses for the entire society.

The subject Women and Media is quite relevant in the present day
context. From this platform the discussion on the subject is being initiated. The
debate on this issue is being proposed to be discussed at the State level. and the
Press Council is keen that seminars and workshops on this subject are
organized at different States and at different levels. I sincerely hope that
this initiative will be fruitful. Let this beginning be auspicious
(Aiomaramba Subhaya Bhabatu).

1.10 MEDIA’S ROLE IN EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN INDIA:

Communication is extremely important for women's development and

mass media play significant role. It is to be noted that growth of women's
education and their entry into employment have contributed to the growth of
media. In all spheres of life whether for controlling population growth, spread
of literacy or improving quality of life for vast masses, women have crucial
role to play..However, women can be expected to play this role when they
become conscious of their strength and are not deliberately marginalized
by male domination. In this context, media has an important role to play- to
create awakening in women to achieve their potential as the prime movers
of change in society. In today's world, print and electronic media play a
vital role in effectively conveying message that needs to be conveyed.

1.11 ROLE IN THE SOCIETY:

Whether we realise it or not but Social media has a great impact on

society.Social media sites have taken over our lives.In my opinion it has a
positive impact.It has definitely made us closer with the relatives, friends and
other people who are residing in other countries. It is a place where we can

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contact anyone around the world at any time. We can also share elements of our
life, from what we enjoy to photos of ourselves and those in our lives. It is like
being a part of that person‟s world, even though distance keeps us apart. But not
all consequences of this technology are good ones. It has allowed us to hide
behind screens and limited our social interaction face to face. Nowadays, people
have so many members on their Facebook friends list but less number of
peoplewhom they see on a semi-regular basis. Social media has an enormous
impact on each and every institution of our society. Even politics, culture,
economics condition also gets influenced by the social media.

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CHAPTER-II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

[24]
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
According to Patowasry (2014), The mass media in India has not made
adequate efforts to discuss serious issues concerning women and prepare the
women to play their rightful and equal role in the society. To change this
condition, it is necessary to monitor the media and point out the merits and
demerits continuously.
According to Kaul and Sahni (2010), it has also been seen that women
are portrayed in stereotypical, often fashionable, physicaly attractive and never
as an intelligent, confident and emancipated women.
According to Tomar (2011), in most of the advertisements in India be it
newspapers or television or magazines, the main component is women and these
represent that picture of women as vulgar and cheap.
According to Prasad (2010), the relationship between media and women
has a certain structure where women are confined as an object. She also states
that the role of women in media decision making is reflected in the poor
representation of women issues and concerns.
According to Munshi (2000), advertisers in the decade are willing to
portray women in male dominated advertisements as compared to advertisers of
1990s. The findings of the study are sync with those found by Munshi (2000).
According to Moorthi, Roy and Pansari (2014), because distance
between the media and women not only derives the women of there right to
information but keeps them in the dark.
According to Agrawal (2014), now media aim is to link the changing
character played by women in movies with the emerging status of women in
India, as movies are a reflection of changes in the social structure in patriarchal
society of India.
According to Jain (2005), opines that mediaization influences positively
or negatively on the life styles of youth in particular and changes the norms,
values and role structures of society. She also viewed that issues of

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modernization, gender-issues, nation-building, socio-cultural dimensions in
family welfare and violence against women and aged are also under the impact
of globalization. Various factors which influence the degree of modernization
such as educational, economic factors, mass-media etc. have been co-related
with the aspirations in the light of organization role stress and job satisfaction.
She concluded that in order to face new challenges and to adapt to the uses of
new technology, one needs to get involved in active learning and creativity in a
new form which also requires mechanisms to seek avenues for voluntarism and
intergenerational activities.
According to Mahajan (2006), opines that Globalisation is a complex
phenomenon and due to which the world has become global village and
globalisation affects the various aspects of our society such as political, social,
economic and religious. Due to globalisation the media has also globalised now.
Globalisation brings new technology, it may either increase
employmentopportunities or more likely reduce employment. Globalisation has
led to easy access to all types of media. Youth is under the impact of modern
life-styles, professional ambitions, and unrealistic expectations. Commitment
for marriage is disappearing as a result of modernisation in India now.He
argued that impact of media has led to consumerism and has changed the fabric
of contemporary Indian society.He concludes that the effect of media is so high
on cultural values of youth who are already in a stage of identity crisis where
they reject adult-authority. With the advent of satellite connections almost all
the international news commercials, soap operas and games can be seen.TV
commercials and advertisements have influenced the buying habits of the youth.
According to Kirsh (2010) Opines that media plays an important role in the
development.He is of the opinion that media consoles such as
T.V.,Videogames,Computers should be not be there in children‟s bedroom
because it keeps the children occupied.Media also impacts the academics of
children.Media impacts the youth and children negatively. Media plays an

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extensive role in an individual‟s daily life. Right from the second we wake up
till you go to bed after saying goodnight to our wife, kid, parents, siblings or
friends, we are surrounded in a world built just for us by the media. With the
advent of advanced technology, there has been a drastic shift from the telegraph,
and then the radio, newspapers, magazines and now to the most widely used-
the internet.
According to Choudhary(2010), opines that media especially electronic
media(T.V.) has a major role in daily lives of the people.The viewing can
entertain the young and old alike for great amounts of time.Along with
entertainment ,the media is used to inform society.But he argues that today the
TV channels and newspapers are making fast money by cashing on the news in
wrong way.In the race to bring more popular and to make money they have
broken all the limits media must follow while serving to build a healthy
environment. He argued that media has a vital role in moulding a good society,
as far as youth is concerned they have tendency of grabbing the dialogues,
actions etc. aired or published through the media. So the media must aware of
this fact .Media should always try to side with the truth. He concluded that
media is the biggest tool to bring awareness in the society, either it be social,
political or economical.

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CHAPTER-III
OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

The objectives of the study are:

1. To critically analyses the media role in constructing the image of women.

2. To study the portrayal of women in different media.

METHODOLOGY:

In this study, data has been collected from secondary sources. The
secondary sources of data collection from journals, magazines, books, articles
etc.

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CHAPTER-IV
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

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FINDINGS OF THE STUDY:

Women's participation, performance and portrayal in media are the three

important dimensions of study for the researchers of modern time, especially for
the feminists. Indian society is male dominated and this dominance can be seen
everywhere and unfortunately media is not the exception to that. More women
are involved in careers in the communications sector, but few have attained
positions at the decision-making level or serve on governing boards and bodies
that influence media policy. The portrayal of women in the Indian media
oscillates between two extremes: the "mother India" and the "glamour girl"
image. The continued projection of negative and degrading images of women in
media communications-electronic, print, visual and audio- must be changed. In
addition, violent and degrading or pornographic media products are also
negatively affecting women and their participation in society. A positive portray
of women in media is necessary to maintain the real dignity and status of
women which will minimize the gender gap and inequalities. For this, mass
media can play a significant role in shaping social values, attitudes, norms,
perception and behavior. Thus, the overall effect of the portrayal of women in
media is to reinforce rather than reduce prejudices and stereotypes. Media has
an important role to play — to create awakening in women to achieve their
potential as the prime movers of change in society.

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CHAPTER-V
SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

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CONCLUSION

It is without a doubt that media has huge influence on people and it can
be a dominant medium for advocacy of gender equality and uplifting the present
status of women in the society. But unfortunately media is reinforcing
stereotyped images of women and their roles in society. The news regarding
women is mostly about their hardships and atrocities imposed upon them. It
shows the gender insensitivity of media. It has become indispensible that media
should take responsibilities of acting as a powerful instrument for bringing
social change for women in more favorable terms. Media can be utilized for
substituting her traditional passive image imprinted on the mind of the society
as a whole with true and positive image of women. The positive and
encouraging attitude of society can bring the change in the status of women and
to bring that change media's role is very crucial. Priority has therefore
necessarily to be given to changing image of women, from a passive onlooker
and recipient, to that of a positive doer and achiever. Information revolution, in
its truest technical terms in India, is the latest phenomenon. During the phases
of economic realization in last one and half decade, the overall scenario of
media in India has changed tremendously. The depiction of Women in Indian
media, be it films, television serials, news, media, visual advertisement, or
modernized traditional media, is indeed an area of great concern for people
having interest in social science research and studies. Some studies found have
that social issues related to women (equality of status and opportunity) got less
than nine percent while sensational stories relating to women which were
invariably crime stories got between 52 and 63 percent of items in newspapers.
(Nitin Jugran Bahuguna) More disquieting is the growing trend in media to
portray women as victims. Some recent studies of news stories show that sex
and sensation is the primary motivation behind the reportage. A study of four
main English dailies in India finds that women's issues accounted for little over

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two percent of the total items in one of the dailies and even less in the other
three. (Bahuguna). Apart from the long and heated debate over the percentage
of women in legislative bodies, the situation of women in Indian society at large
is a matter of alarming consideration. There has been much criticism of
Television advertising of some commercial products like cigarettes, laxatives or
articles of intimate wearing apparel on moral grounds. Comments in newspaper
articles have found some of them objectionable and violating the requirements
of good taste and sometimes offensive, some objections have also been made to
the appearance of scantily clad women in some commercials (Ahuja & Batra).
As the tentacles of globalization have trespassed into the electronic media, the
advertising industry has been swept by the market forces with the result that
sexist display depicting women in demeaning manner has become the norm.
Though, it is true that the level of active participation and decision making
capability to women in each and every aspect of social and political life in India
has increased leaps and bounds, yet the overall conditions of women is not so
good. The depiction of women in Indian media is simply shoddy and at times
vulgar. Commoditization of women as a sex object has been relentlessly
portrayed in audiovisual media. The overtones of sexual equation are much
more explicit these days in our media. The orthodox presentations and the
conventional inhibitions seem to overpower the orientations of media planners.
The women in Indian media are depicted generally as scrupulous, religiously
intolerant, craving only for their own family ,politically naive, socially
inevitable and culturally ultra-modern . Some criticism of advertising using
women as sex objects can be seen in letters to the editor and very mild criticism
of the cheapness and vulgarity in the display of women in advertising can be
found in our literature on media. Often the criticism of the advertising stems out
of big business game, believing the advertisements, rising prices and creation of
artificial needs. (Kumar) Serials are depicting women and young females
involved in conspiracy, premarital, extra-marital, post material illicit affairs,

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wearing costly, heavy golden, and diamond jewellery, perpetuating their
religious fundamentalism, spending time is family feuds, suicidal love affairs,
mega parties, palatial houses, luxury cars, sleek mobiles, elegant, make ups,
little care about anything else than the individual matters, and at all not even a
word about the outside world. Newspapers give place to the news related to
rape, crime, politics, scandals, sports and economics, serious debates and
discussions on issues related to women in general are completely missing. The
columnists of the newspapers are rarely females. Most of them who find place
in the leader pages are political activists or so-called socialites. In vernacular
press the depiction of women gets a share only in colored pages where there is a
lot of gossip about actress of TN. serials or film stars along with some hot pick-
up and pinups. The English press also dwells upon providing snaps of hot babes
and erotic photo gallery of party-mania in multi star hotels. Even the photos of
sports stars are also provided in a manner that depicts their body attraction.

Social media use can have major impacts on young people‟s construction
of self, especially with regard to gender, sexuality, and identity (Garcia-Gómez,
2017). This essay argues that certain Instagram sites geared toward college
students are perpetuating gendered injustices and inequalities through their
photo and video posts. Through a textual analysis of Four Year Party and
College Nationwide, themes indicating this problematic situation were
uncovered. These themes are: objectification of female college students,
submissiveness of female college students, and emphasis on a young, white
collegiate experience.

On both Instagram sites, female college students are portrayed as objects

to be gazed upon by their male counterparts. They are pictured as sexualized
and nameless objects of desire with no identity or personality of their own.
More concretely, their bodies are shown as physical objects to be used by men.
Women‟s breasts and buttocks are used as funnels and koozies for alcohol,

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message boards to write mottos and sayings, and decorated gifts to be given,
received, and used by males.

Female college students are shown as submissive to male college

students. They are photographed in submissive poses lying on their backs or
their stomachs. They are also subjected to physical and sexual aggression and
violence through slapping, groping, and forceful sexual advances. Female
privacy is frequently violated on these sites as photos and videos are taken of
naked and unconscious women and then posted online for all to view.
Masculinity and male bonding are celebrated and encouraged, especially at the
expense of women.

The final theme discusses the emphasis on a young and white college
experience. All of the women deemed sexually attractive are Caucasian and
traditionally collegeaged. In fact, older people are frequently mocked when
placed in traditionally collegiate situations like parties, beaches, or bars. People
of color are rarely shown and when they are they are also mocked or looked at
as “other.”

A postfeminist reading of these Instagram sites is valuable. Social media

platforms can serve as sites of potential resistance for women and other
marginalized groups, and give users power to create their own content. Social
media platforms can allow women to construct their own gendered identities
and provide sites for women to promote and celebrate their sexuality and
femininity. Much of the content on Four Year Party and College Nationwide is
submitted by female users, thus promoting a sense of postfeminist
empowerment. However, the addition of male commenting, editing, and
redistributing replaces this empowerment with the constraints and prejudices of
the male gaze. The content submitted by male users without female consent are
especially problematic and dangerous.

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 These Instagram sites are geared toward college students. These are the
young men and women who will potentially be in successful, powerful, and
even leadership roles in our society going forward. It is disheartening and
frankly fear-inducing that these themes of gendered and racial prejudices are so
evident on social media sites with tens of thousands of college student
followers. Not only are these prejudices and injustices tolerated, but they are
celebrated. These types of social media platforms should be more closely
examined and analyzed to better understand the challenges facing women and
people of color in the collegiate setting and to try to encourage young men to
leave these practices behind.

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