GENDER SPECIFIC PORTRAYAL ON INDIANTELEVISION AND THE VIEWERS

Abstract

The present study entitled “Gender specific portrayal on Indian Television and the viewers” was undertaken
to ascertain the responses of men and women regarding their television viewing patterns, liking towards
particular characters and portrayal of men and women in television serials. A survey was conducted in the
tri-city area i.e. Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Portrayal of relative positions of men and women on
Indian television can easily be a pointer towards the fact that television reinforces the stereotyping of gender
roles. Gender roles in every society are cultural specific. Culture defines how the men and women co- exist,
support, depend, associate, relate, think, speak, interact, behave, wear, get educated, move in society or
perform their duties and so on. This actual reality and the television realism about gender identities and
gender expression may easily reflect each other in this age of dominance of television. The result shows that
majority of the population watch television regularly. Although the preferred time, channels and programs
being watched by men and women are different but both of them believe that television screen majorly
projects stereotyped images of characters. There is a difference between the television realism and real
world.