Working Papers

?? With the introduction of new communication technologies, the power of mass media has grown in stature. The mass media shape our perceptions of social reality by presenting only some aspects of reality and by continuous repetition of images and messages. Although the form and content of mass media have changed dramatically over the years, the mass media have played a decisive role in reinforcing gender stereotypes and in reinforcing patriarchal culture by constructing new meanings and images and by setting the agenda for public opinion through selective themes and viewpoints. This paper attempts to give a global picture of representation of women in the mass media -- films, television and print media (newspapers and magazines) on the basis of available Indian and international research literature on women and mass media. It argues that women and their concerns are no longer invisible in the mass media. However, old sex-stereotypes have continued in new forms. With the growing commercialisation of the mass media, there has been increasing commodification of women in the mass media. On the other hand, progressive discourse on womena??s issues is often co-opted and re-constructed in the mainstream media to establish the hegemony of dominant social classes. Hence, the task of changing media images of women has become far more difficult in the context of market economy.