Portrayal of Indian Women Through Television Serials
PORTRAYAL OF INDIAN WOMEN THROUGH TELEVISION SERIALS
Tender and the media is a subject that is being discussed frequently. The portrayal of gender as a product and the accompanying body politic in the media is well documented. Media can either be a accomplice to gender based discrimination by portraying stereotypical sensational images of women or it can provide balanced coverage that empowers women while exposing acts of gender bias. This essay of mine is specially focused on women’s issues and characters that are covered on television and the manner in which they are portrayed in Hindi television serials.
Women portrayal in television is one of the disputable issues surrounding the media today. The modern images of the more liberated women are not the image of the contemporary Indian women. It sums that gender-stereotyping is more deeply woven into the fabric of television soap operas that does not depict the reality of women’s role in the society, for a variety of different reasons ,including the illusionary characters, the concentration on domestic and personal issues. It has been that women are portrayed in stereotypical, often fashionable way and never as an intelligent, confident and emancipated women.
Television serials have undergone huge transformation in the last decade and a half. Serials have moved a great deal from portraying strong women characters like Rajni, Kalyani(Udaan) of 1980s, which inspired middle class women and challenged the mainstream ideology.
Today there is indeed an overdose of serials that are currently being aired on television. From the endless list of popularly watched K serials on Star Plus – Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and so on and also serials from other channels like Pavitra Rishta and Kya Hua Tera Vada. Most of these soaps show “home” on the domestic sphere as the core setting and the fundamental theme is centred on women with primary concern on family relationships. In this context , women’s
Tender and the media is a subject that is being discussed frequently. The portrayal of gender as a product and the accompanying body politic in the media is well documented. Media can either be a accomplice to gender based discrimination by portraying stereotypical sensational images of women or it can provide balanced coverage that empowers women while exposing acts of gender bias. This essay of mine is specially focused on women’s issues and characters that are covered on television and the manner in which they are portrayed in Hindi television serials.
Women portrayal in television is one of the disputable issues surrounding the media today. The modern images of the more liberated women are not the image of the contemporary Indian women. It sums that gender-stereotyping is more deeply woven into the fabric of television soap operas that does not depict the reality of women’s role in the society, for a variety of different reasons ,including the illusionary characters, the concentration on domestic and personal issues. It has been that women are portrayed in stereotypical, often fashionable way and never as an intelligent, confident and emancipated women.
Television serials have undergone huge transformation in the last decade and a half. Serials have moved a great deal from portraying strong women characters like Rajni, Kalyani(Udaan) of 1980s, which inspired middle class women and challenged the mainstream ideology.
Today there is indeed an overdose of serials that are currently being aired on television. From the endless list of popularly watched K serials on Star Plus – Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and so on and also serials from other channels like Pavitra Rishta and Kya Hua Tera Vada. Most of these soaps show “home” on the domestic sphere as the core setting and the fundamental theme is centred on women with primary concern on family relationships. In this context , women’s