WOMEN EMPOWERMENT BY INDIAN MEDIA : A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

All developing countries are emphasizing on the need for development of women. This is a burning issue for discussio ns and debates on TV channels or writing columns and articles in News Papers. Today woman as a potent part of society has proven her abilities and also demanding her stand and standards in our patriarchal society. But here the matter of concern is what rol e our fourth pillar of democracy is playing to provide the voice to the hidden plight of women and to assert their life? Is Indian Print Media making any efforts to bring change for them?????????????? Every women have right to live a dignified life. As wom en a potent part of world always struggle to establish their identity, their perceptions are heavily influenced by mass media that many times objectify them. The main reason for a women’s low self - esteem is the reflections of women she is experiencing all around her in the media, and the movies. Wherever she glances, she sees images of females that are completely unrealistic. They are presented to her as ideals to emulate while being out of her reach. It's no secret that women compare themselves to the fema le images they see portrayed on television, film, and advertising. At both the conscious and subconscious level, these media images of women lowers self - esteem and affect behavior at every age and stage of life. Although it is clear that the media influenc es Abstract SRJIS/BIMONTHLY/ OWAIS KHAN ( 2898 - 2903 ) AUG - SEPT, 2015, VOL. 2/11 www.srjis.com Page 2899 the way women view themselves, these perspectives also give some explanation for why some women show resilience to the negative effects of the media, while others are dramatically impacted. “Gender stereotyping presents a serious obstacle in the process of achieving real gender equality and feeds into gender discrimination, which not only limits the fulfillment of the full potential of women, but is also one of the root causes of violence against women and girls. According to the UNESCO report in 2009, r eveled, it will take another 75 years to achieve gender equality in the media. The present research paper is based on the premise that continued projection of negative and degrading images of women in media and it must provide a balanced picture of her pos itive contribution to society