How tv has been utilized for the women development?
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The most common form of communication, television, has a number of social effects. The impact’s nature could be beneficial or negative depending on the TV show. Education, economic independence, political and social awareness, and decision-making power are all important factors in the development of women in society. Only when people are informed of their rights is that feasible. TV has a significant impact on women’s empowerment by educating and informing them. No religion opposes women’s rights, and women hold a prominent position in all cultures and societies.
TV conveys ideas and visuals that assist audiences in forming their attitudes, making it a significant tool for socialisation. Comparatively, TV has a negative impact on women’s behaviour and attitudes, particularly in urban areas where they have more channel options thanks to cable and satellite systems. Today’s media, particularly television, is helping to improve the status of women. Television content analysis shows that portraying women in stereotypical roles or focusing only on their domestic lives is no longer a common theme in television programming. Since women are now portrayed as powerful leading figures who have a beneficial and positive impact on women’s standing, this trend has been declining.
By including information about women’s rights and issues in their shows, television programmes have had a positive impact on the social status of women in society. Because of television, liberal thinking is expanding while conservative thinking is declining. India’s rural life has undergone psychological and structural change as a result of television. Political awareness, financial decisions, romantic relationships, and villagers’ worldviews are all affected. TV raises understanding of rights, and stories against feudal lords are frequently a topic on TV dramas, so viewers tend to rely less on traditional authorities to settle their issues. The role of women on film is depicted as dependent, illogical, domestic, inferior, and subordinate to men; unfortunately, our transmissions are less pro-women.
According to studies, television affects women’s attitudes and behaviours. The majority of women think that television has positive effects on society. The public is more aware of women’s rights, particularly socioeconomic rights, due to television. Women are made aware of groups working to promote and safeguard women’s rights through television, and they are generally aware of the laws and conventions adopted at the national and international levels to protect women’s rights. Studies have also shown that watching television encourages women to assert their rights. In rural India, there exist links between television and societal change.
Impact of television
Over the past 20 years, television has expanded enormously in developing countries. Television significantly expands access to outside-the-home information and exposure to different cultures, in addition to offering entertainment. This is especially true for isolated rural communities where, according to a number of ethnographic and anthropological studies, television is the main source of information for households about life outside of their communities.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, Emily Oster and Robert Jensen examine how views and prejudice against women have changed as a result of the introduction of cable television in rural India.
The importance of gender equality concerns is felt around the world, but India is where they are most acute. Women and girls who suffered mistreatment and died before their time because of it in a population that was overwhelmingly male. In India, discrimination against females exists in the areas of nutrition, healthcare, immunisation, and education. Rural rather than urban areas in India see much greater gender inequality.
Impact of television shows
Popular soap opera characters frequently have smaller families, later marriages, and higher education—all traits uncommon in rural areas—and many female characters hold jobs outside the home, sometimes as professionals or in other leadership roles. Cable and satellite TV may raise the status of rural women by exposing rural homes to metropolitan attitudes and values.
The majority of popular Indian serials are set in cities, and the women shown there are often far more liberated than those in rural areas. Furthermore, access to Western television is common, where these behaviours differ even more sharply from those in rural India. According to anthropological reports, this appears to have changed Indian attitudes. In one study, a number of participants believed that television might cause women to re-evaluate their social standing and contribute to the advancement of women. According to a different woman interviewed, television has allowed both men and women to be more vulnerable.
Changes can be seen in the first year after cable is introduced, indicating that the effects of cable occurs rather quickly. This is in line with other research on the effects of media exposure, which frequently reveals quick changes—in many cases within a few months—in behaviors like using contraceptives, pregnancy, and constructing latrines. These results are equally significant: the introduction of television reduces the disparity in attitudes and behaviours between urban and rural areas by between 45 and 70 percent.
Impact on education
Studies on economic development generally show that when women retain more influence in the home, investments in children’s education and health care are higher. For instance, it may be preferable to give money to women than to men since women are more likely to utilise it to improve the welfare of their children. Children may benefit if television elevates women’s standing, which would be beneficial overall. One indicator of a child’s welfare is whether or not they attend school, and the study discovered that after cable television is introduced, school enrollment rises, particularly among younger children.
TV exposure is linked to increased autonomy awareness, increased financial independence, fewer unplanned pregnancies (owing to birth control), a negative attitude regarding beating, a reduced tendency to bear children, a smaller family, and a lower preference for sons.
How TV can be utilised for women’s development
In TV shows, women are shown as being dependent on males; domestic TV dramas idealise this type of woman. It’s important to stop this trend;
Women must be acknowledged and represented in high-level roles across all areas.
The goal of television programmes should be to raise awareness of all types of women’s rights and issues, which can aid in their development.
Programs in the areas of health, education, women’s rights, and gender equality should be sponsored by the government and associated ministries of the government.
It is advised to conduct further research in this area to get the truth about how TV and other communication media affect women.
Conclusion:
Children’s perceptions of what it means to be a man or a woman in society are influenced by gender stereotypes they see on television, which are then reinforced by parents, friends, and schools. Television conveys strong and persuading signals about gender norms that are accepted in society yet are frequently stereotypical, biased, and out of date.
Traditional gender roles, which encourage men to make decisions and display leadership traits while encouraging women to be submissive and reliant, are not advantageous to anyone, especially women. Traditional gender roles limit women’s ability to express themselves and achieve their full potential.
It may be as challenging to reduce poverty, establish schools, and enhance teacher effectiveness in order to increase enrollment as it is to address the issues being addressed. While it is obvious that cable television cannot fix any aspect of these issues that is directly tied to a structural issue, such as poverty, it does hold out the prospect of having a large positive impact on education and women’s status through altering women’s attitudes and behaviours.
Sources:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220388.2014.896456
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281404505_Role_of_Television_in_Awareness_of_Women_Rights_among_Women_Folk_with_Special_Focus_on_Women_of_District_Naushahro_Feroze
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271933306_Television_on_Women’s_Empowerment_in_India
https://slate.com/business/2007/08/how-tv-is-empowering-the-women-of-india.html
https://www.forbesindia.com/article/chicago-booth/televisions-impact-on-the-status-of-women/5362/1
https://www.academia.edu/26346863/Did_television_empower_women_The_introduction_of_television_and_the_changing_status_of_women_in_the_1950s