Mass Media and it's importance in Women Empowerment

  Mass Media and it's importance in Women empowerment

Paper no.15 Mass Communication and Mass Studies

 Sem- 4

 Roll No.17

 Email: italiyaminkal@gmail.com

 Batch: 2018-2020
 S.B.Gardi Department of English, MKBU

 

• Introduction:

The very much subject of mass media and women is quite relevant in recent time, Mass Media plays a vital role in shaping culture as well as in establishing any social norms, including to create  gender stereotypes and later on to bring immense change or reformation in created stereotypes. Back then, the media is not served as a platform where men and women can enjoy their own rights. With the spreading of technology and education, Mass Media serves as effective and important tool to bring changes in the society. Though the fact can’t be neglected that the very much representation of an old gendered idea is also continued at certain level in new modern form, equally the women enjoys a better position than earlier they have had as well as mass media provides a platform to women where they can speak, they can raise their voice against wrong going. Along with media Governments and nongovernment organizations also support the idea of women empowerment by doing advertisements of various kinds of schemes in empowerment of women, here the point to keep in mind is that it is mass media which allows to reach great efforts to women and enables them to think for them.  Indeed it brings  economical, social, psychological and so on kinds of empowerment in women. Here my main concern is to point out how mass media affects the women empowerment in various capacities and how digital campaign contributes in bringing immense changes in women’s role.

Ø What is Mass Media?

Mass Media are tools for the transfer of information and ideas to both general and specific audiences. Unlike earlier not only a morning newspaper and evening shows remain the parts of mass media, in 21st century mass media with millions of websites and social media channels become the much more democratized. It helps in given a voice to people, it helps in encouraging creativity, social mobility and opportunities among people.

Because of having such power media is also considered as fourth pillar of society and democratic medium of information. As far as mass media and women empowerment is concerned, media plays a very vital role in shaping women’s roles in society, in breaking stereotypical gender representation and in encouraging gender equality in society. It was very well said by Javaharlal Nehru that, “You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of women” Indeed women empowerment is very essential for the development of any country as women plays a vital role in changing fortune of any country. In term of women empowerment, the very much notion of empowerment refers to providing the necessary rights and responsibilities to women in order to make them independent, make them self reliant which allow them to be as they want to be.

Basically when women are offering their services in two different forms, in domestic world and in economical field, the media plays a very vital role in changing the stereotypical gendered representation. 

Ø Mass Media and it’s significance

Nowadays  when  as a part of electronic media television becomes the most influential medium of mass communication it serves as an medium of entertainment and education through films, advertisements and serials. Though unconsciously but very subtly Mass Media influences the thinking and behaviour of society.  Mass Media plays a tremendous role in shaping women’s roles in society as well as in encouraging gender equality in society, back then that women were not being portrayed as strong capable or worthy to do something for self or to achieve anything for what they desired, in term of stereotypical representation of women had done in such way that she supposed to be live within house and did house hold works, indeed nurturing of family supposed to be the main role of women. Fortunately, unlike that nowadays we witness a new wave of consciousness whereas women are being portrayed as an independent and stronger one, she finds her own existence in various fields such as in economical, political, journalist, film industry and so on.

Then even of course, male gaze representation of women, invasive issues of body image and misogynist perceptions of women in social media, music, politics and in TV remain the debatable question. The continued representation of negative disregarding images of women in media, advertisements, print and visual must have to be changed, indeed potential existence of media can help in by its contribution, by presenting women as not merely an object.   On the one side media becomes the voice of women, a platform where women can raise their voice, at the same time male gaze representation of women in a variety of ways affects the social role of women, indeed it becomes difficult to pinpoint on what level it influences people. Across the world, there are numerous studies have been done on media representation of women, basically the main objective of this is to figure out how does the media representation affects their role in social life and in popular culture at larger scale.

Ø Government Schemes for Women Empowerment

 Government of India has been also contributing in women empowerment by promoting websites where women can show their innovative work to the larger extend in front of masses. As well as

government’s advertisements also play a vital role in changing stereotypical mentality towards. For instance, advertisement of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhavo’ have had a great impact on people’s mind, and successfully we can observe an increasing level of education in female. Here, below I mentioned some schemes started by Government of India, indeed the spreading of it shouldn’t be possible without mass media. Mass Media plays an immense role in order to bring these advertisements to audience and make them aware about it.

 1) Mahila E-haat – online marketing platform to support women entrepreneurs

2) Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao – social campaign aimed at eradication of female foeticide and raising awareness on welfare services intended for young girls

 3) One Stop Centre Scheme – ‘Sakhi’, provides a shelter, police desk, legal, medical and counselling services to victims of violence under one roof with having 24 hour helpline.

 4) Working Women Hostels – to promote the availability of safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women

5) Swadhar Greh – provides shelter, clothing and food to marginalized women

6) STEP – it helps to provide skills that give employability to women in 
order to enable them to become self employed

7) Nari Shakti Puruskars – national level awards recognizing the efforts made by women.  Participations of women in different fields Mass media helps in women empowerment and as a result we can find a larger number on women participation in commercial world as well as in journalism also.

Above mentioned are actions taken by Governments to support women’s education, to give them commercial training which helps allows the women’s participation in media, management, training programmes and in education as well.

 In Political field also there are many women like Sonia Gandhi, Mayawati and Sheila Dixit who contributed in progress of country as well as inspire other women to be like them, in  a way encourage them to be independent. As well in the film industry also women are at top place, they earn as equal as men. In the literary field there are also Arundhati Roy, Jumpha Lahiri and so on. Here what I want to say is that through their works they try to promote women empowerment in different capacities.

Ø Feminism/Women Empowerment on social media

               Along with mass media, google, twitter, facebook, Instagram etc are emerging out as a social platform, where world becomes more and more connected, news and opinions are shared more easily, at every hour and anywhere with own smartphone and data plan. With the emerging trend of wide spread technology, social platforms are also contributing in shaping women’s role in society. Social media has wildly spread women ideologies including hashtags and online campaigns which have been given women around the world a voice. It throws a light on women’s issues which was not previously discussed and tries to bring them in light by enhancing conversations around topics not covered by mass media main stream. Nowadays if any rape cases on women happen there are larger numbers of people who come for justice in favour of victim. Of course, the credit of it goes to media which helps in spreading awareness of it. Countries around world including India are emphasizing on women empowerment with having initiatives like #metoo and #time’sup. Recently we have digital campaign #MeToo campaign that continues to rock our world as well as spread across the globe by crossing racial, economical and other boundaries. This digital campaign gained traction on October 15, 2017 in response to allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinsteun. Actress Alysss Milano posted a tweet urging women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed to post a status on social media with the words “Me Too” in order to give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.

 A writer of the Hindustan Times Namita Bhandare said that,

“More recently The#MeToo campaign has been important in increasing public awareness of sexual assault, especially among men”. Indeed it is wide spreading digital campaign which is widely used over the world. There are many women who come up with #MeToo movement, and raise their voice against sexual harassment.

By pointing out the influences of this digital campaign Bani Rachel Bali (social worker in India) said that,

“I haven’t seen a campaign that started in one corner of the world and replicated all across, so to see something like this really blow up and more than this being an online campaign… I felt the presence of sisterhood”

Indeed, #MeToo movement brings a light a strain of feminism focused on community and solidarity that shapes the feminist project. Along with it there are many also digital campaign which are widely spreaded, hashtag #BringBackOurGirls also widely used after Boko Haram abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria. This mainly aims to pressure the release of innocent girls. There is also UN women’s  #HeForShe campaign which has brought to light the importance of engaging men and boys to effectively promote gender equality.   

Nowadays if molestation or any other violence happen with women, larger group of people come on social platform, urging for justice to victim. Indeed, mass media and social platforms play a vital role in bringing awareness about all these. Through these digital campaigns and hashtags, social media helps in spreading feminism ideologies.

Conclusion:

 However it seems that women empowerment or great efforts of women empowerment has done in larger scale but than even in comparison to other country, still we have to do great effort for it. It seems that media plays vital role in women empowerment, increasing participation of women in commercial world suggests that  women’s are becoming more aware and conscious about their own role as well women are also playing an important role decision making as well as in self expression through media. Indeed, the great effort of media in gender equality should be supported by everyone.

 

Bibliography

Ananta Narayana, Tauffiqu Ahamad. "Role of media in accelerating women empowerment ." International Journal of Advanced Education and Research (2016): 4.

Gupta, Dr.Sonia. "A Study On Role Of Media In Women Empowerment In India." International Journal of Advance Research , Ideas and Innovations in Technology (2018): 11. Research Paper .

Marmai, Chiara Luna. Effects of Mass Media in Women Empowering. n.d. empowerwomen. <https://www.empowerwomen.org/en/community/discussions/2014/6/effects-of-mass-media-on-the-empowering-women>.

Bower, Tim. The #MeToo Backlash. September-October 2019. <https://hbr.org/2019/09/the-metoo-backlash>.

Robert, Olga. 7 Indian Government Schemes For Women Empowerment. 19 October 2019. <https://www.goodreturns.in/classroom/2018/02/7-indian-government-schemes-women-empowerment-680804.html>.