social transformation and media
TRANSCRIPT
Social Transformation and Media: Realities and Challenges
GENDER & MEDIA: Connections and Possibilities
Mira K Desai Associate Professor & I/C HOD
University Department of Extension EducationSNDT Women’s University, Juhu Campus, Mumbai
Social Transformation……..
• Isn’t it an inevitable process of time? • Is it a ‘reality’ of today or future?• Is it our creation of the world that we live in?• What is getting TRANFROMED!! People or
Technology or both? • Is there anything SOCIAL about it?• Is it happening in reality?
Whose REALITIES…..?!
Indian Media Journey in NumbersMEDIA THEN NOW
Newspapers and Periodicals
3000 in 1947 including 300 dailies
93,985 registered publications by Dec 2012
Television Two-hour/day transmission on ONE channel and 41 TV Sets in 1962
850 channels with 24X7 telecast and from 127 million in 2008 to 253 million households in 2010
Films 280 films in 1947 and had 150 theatres in 1921
1250 productions in 2010 having 13000 Cinema halls
Radio 1 AM radio channel in 1947
Multiple Stations: AM , FM, Community, Campus
Internet Inception in 1995, 4.55 million users in 2004
160 ISPs, 71 million ‘claimed’ users
We all Consume MEDIA……
Look & SeeHear & Listen
Believe & Agree
MEDIA can be for…….
IndividualGroupMass
Audio Media
Visual Media
Visual Media
Audio- Visual Media
Out of House Media
New Media
Media Sector Avenues
Mass Media:Print: Newspapers & Magazines
RadioTV
Films
Other Media:Publishing: BooksMobile & Telecom
InternetOutdoors & Events
AdvertisingActing
JournalismPublic relations
Graphics-Gaming
Beauty & Make UpArt & Design
Computer AnimationFitnessFood
Transport
Main Stream Media TODAY……..
• Creates ‘HAPPY HAPPY’ or ‘Sad Sad’ realities• Skewed representations- one way realities• Promotes PRESENT orientation• Projects LIFESTYLES, Values consumerism, Rejects
idealism, Negates rationalism• Alliances with other sectors of society making the
circle of influence deeper
UNREAL Realities
Trends in last two decade
OwnershipCo-existence
of big and small
DistributionDigitisation &
Last mile, Globalisation
ConsumptionMultiple access points, Lack of loyaltyFragmented attention
What is Gender?
Gender is constructed……
INSTITUTIONS
• Family• Education• Religion• Caste• State• Media• Market
Definitions
Role
Qualities
Behaviour
Valuation
CONTROLS
• Fertility• Labour• Mobility• Property• Resources• Sexuality
WE define……PEOPLE-men/women?AGECASTE
SEX
CLASS
RELIGION
OCCUPATION
DESIGNATION
RACE
EDUCATION
GENDER/Women - Media
• Women as shown in Media (subjects)• Women who use Media (as audiences) • Women who work in Media (professionals)• Women’s media ( media created by
women)• Women who work for those who work in
media (Support services- makeup, hair, catering, stylists, etc.)
Women as Performers
In front of Camera - Behind CameraWith lots of clothes - Without clothes
Women as News Subjects
Women as Presenters
WOMEN as MEDIA Audiences
Women as Technicians
Women as Communicators
• Novelists• Journalists• Writers• Directors• Producers• Financers• Painters• Sculpture artists
• Poets• Singers• Dancers• Actresses• Folk Artists• Presenters• Anchors• Photographers
Women as Communicators
Women Communicators
PRIVATE ROLES attached to SEX
WOMEN• Mother• Wife• Sister• Friends• Daughter• Daughter-in-law• Mother-in-law• Sister-in-law
MEN• Father• Husband• Brother• Friends• Son• Son-in-law• Father-in-law• Brother-in-law
QUALITIES expected of SEXES
WOMEN• Passive• Submissive• Domesticated• Delicate• Pretty• Cute• Caring
MEN• Active• Aggressive• Daring• Stud• Strong• Tough• In-Charge
Behaviour expected from SEX
WOMEN• Agree with what
others say• Behave as
expected in a given role
• Defined boundaries of movement
MEN• Lead the way• Take control of
situation• Lead others and
given discounts to women as stupid
• Free to do anything
Valuation attached to SEX
WOMEN• What they do in
house is not of much value
• If she is working outside and independent she is ignoring family
MEN• IF they do any
work in house they are obliging women
• If he is working from home, helping wife, he is good husband
On TELEVISION ……
IN REAL…
LIFE
Why difference in these women!!!
• Media likes to show women as suffering, sacrificing, submissive, silent, subdued, passive individual driven by others.
• Media creates stereotypes of mother-daughter-wife-sister which fits into subordinate roles.
• Media promotes women as body- worker without strength- person without own power.
MEDIA- What does it do?
• MIRRORs the Society…..• Creates MARKET by selling you ideas,
products, services…..• MEDIATES experiences of its audiences….• Provides MYTHs…..Circulates and
sustains them……• CREATES definitions of NORMAL
Media and Gender• Media creates definitions about: Who are ‘these’ people?
What wo/men should wear? When and where wo/men should move? How should wo/men behave? • Media stereotypes Gender realities.• Media perpetuates Gender existences.• Media conditions gendered experiences.
Media creates Definitions
• Man should be metro-sexual.• Woman should be sexy.• Woman should be size ZERO.• Girls are cute/vulnerable/sweet.• Man can/should control women.• Man is the head of the household.• Woman have to/must marry.• Man is free to make multiple alliances.
Media stereotypes Realities
• Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law always fight, What about Father –Son?
• Women can’t be friends to each other, how many friendships do we have!!
• Husband has a ‘rights’ over the wife, What about rights of the wife?
• Children are mother’s responsibility, aren’t they joint pleasures/responsibility?
Media perpetuates Gender existences
• Women are dying to get male attention.• Women need to look ‘beautiful’.• Woman are body and man are brain.• Woman can not survive without man.• When woman say NO it is yes?• Woman has no SAY in decisions of her life!• Woman’s first priority is HOME.
Role of MEDIA • Informal educator for the young• Interface for individual with society• Mirror-voices of the society• Preserver of Culture• Representation of ‘voiceless’• Inclusion of excluded population• Space for sustaining democracy
NOT merely a PRODUCT to make & sell
We must……
Look & SeeHear & Listen
Believe & Agree
EXAMINEQUESTIONDISAGREE
GMMP- Global Media Monitoring Project• largest and longest longitudinal study on the gender in the
world’s media. • largest advocacy initiative in the world on changing the
representation of women in the media. • participants ranging from grassroots community
organizations to university students and researchers to media practitioners
• www.whomakesthenews.org and www.waccglobal.org
GMMP over the years• FIVE so far: 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015• 2010-10 November 2015- March 25• Volunteer groups in 140 countries across the
world monitored national newspapers, listened to radio newscasts and watched local television
• A snapshot of the representation and portrayal of women and men in news media around the world-
WOMEN and Media….as
News Providers/
Sources
Media Professionals
News Subjects
Portrayal in news
GMMP 2010• Sample: 6,902 news items and 14,044 news subjects,
including people interviewed in the news.• Themes: Politics/government dominate the biggest chunk
of coverage (27% of the total number of stories), crime/violence comes second at 20%, and the economy third at 18%.
• People: 24% of the people interviewed, heard, seen or read about in mainstream broadcast and print news are female; only 16% of all stories focus specifically on women.
• Change: GMMP 1995 recorded only 17% of the people in the news were women which became 24% n 25% in 2015. ONLY 8% rise in visibility of women in last 20 years.
GMMP: Global – Local….Gender??Global India Mumbai
Women as News subjects
24% 76% M
22% 78% M
20% 74% M
Women news reporters 37% 34% 14%Women central stories 13% 12% 8%Gender policy reference 10% 9% 6%Highlighting G. equality 6% 5% 8%
LOOKING
SEEING
THINKING
UNDERSTANDINGWords have Meanings.Meanings create world.
BELIEVING
ENGAGING
Challenges
• Women/people as human being • Individual with aspirations, needs, life• People as equal partners of civilization• Women for being ‘what she is’ rather
than ‘what she should be’• Men as essential players in the process of
empowerment of women
Possibilities• Media literacy and gender sensitization as
curricular change for general public as well as media students and professionals
• Individual users can boycott media that represent gender in inappropriate manner
• Support ‘alternate’ media spaces• Media houses can take on gender sensitive
portrayal and education as their mandate• Society to give women their ‘dues’
THANK YOU for your TIME & ATTENTION
feel free to connect@[email protected]@hotmail.com