MASS MEDIA AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN IN MAHARASHTRA

Dr. Vibhuti Patel, Introduction: India is signatory to the CEDAW (Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against women) 1995 and NFLS (Nairobi Forward Looking Strategy), in which Empowerment through communication media is given top priority. In the state of Maharashtra multi-pronged efforts are made by both electronic and print media to bring social transformation through promotion of womens agency for empowerment with the combined efforts of the Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and Government organisations (GOs). The regional language media is powerful and all pervasive. English media is shaped by the glocal elite and counter-elite. Almost all Indian language groups have their mouthpieces newspapers, journals and television channels. Every urban hutment and rural village in the state has a T.V. antenna. They are making special efforts to get attention of captive audience, namely women and children. Community radios and local community centred programmes are telecast through private cable networks. The middle class youth is glued to cyber-cafes or privately owned Internets. Computer literacy is a must for any upwardly mobile rural, urban or tribal woman in the state. Within this matrix of contemporary reality of Maharashtra, we will try to examine multi-media in empowerment of women. Status of Women in Maharashtra Indias most industrialised state of Maharashtra has a strong legacy of social reform movement for upliftment of women. Over the last two centuries the male and female social reformers have worked for the cause of womens education, widow remarriage, economic independence of women and promotion of small family norm. Popular

communication media used to achieve the goals and objectives of womens empowerment in the state have been both conventional (carnivals, mobile exhibitions, literary movements oriented to social causes, library movements, dance dramas on socially relevant women-specific themes) and modern electronic media (community radio, television networks and film societies organising feminist film festivals for public education on womens rights). Successful artists and stars also patronise womens causes by participating in voluntary efforts or sponsored shows at theatres, auditorium and stadium, public education advertisements, radio programmes and television programmes/shows. Major Cultural, Socio-economic indicators and Quality of life High in-migration into the state has created a multicultural milieu with regard to womens freedom, opportunities and restrictions. But by and large progressive forces have been empowered by the English and Marathi Media. While English media is projecting women as sex- objects and Hindi media (Mainly television and film) is often used by the overwhelmingly male establishment in perpetuating customs, mores, behaviour and attitudes that uphold discrimination against women and hold them in physical and mental slavery. avers Ad. Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar, Chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission of Women.1. Indicators of status of women in the state have some positive aspects; at the same time they also draw our attention to major danger signals. In 2001, Female life expectancy was found to be higher (68) than its male counterpart (65) in Maharashtra.2. Still, a lot needs to be achieved. We need an aesthetically appealing and creatively handled media strategy to address the following problems that acutely affect womens status within the state:

Child marriage is major problem faced by women.31 % of adolescent girls in the state are married.3 They become child mothers. Neo-natal mortality rate in the state is 29 %. Because of inadequate health infrastructure, only 47.6 % of women get institutional medical attention at the time of child-birth and only 20.6 % get attention from trained professionals. The mainstream communication media has virtually ignored this sad aspect of womens existential reality. Social Communication Media Department of Sophia College has prepared documentaries and slide shows on womens health issues.4Some pharmaceutical industries have come forward to support public health issues affecting womens lives. Ashtha project of Xaviers Institute of Mass Communication makes educational documentaries on survival struggles of women from the marginalized communities. Demographic profile of women in Maharashtra shows several danger signals. Sex Ratios for the years 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991 were 936, 930, 937, 934 respectively. According to 2001 census, sex ratio has declined to 922. There is strong son-

preference in Maharashtra. According to the recent survey, 27 % of couples want more sons than daughters and 84% want at least one son.5 Child sex ratio (0-6 age group) was 917 in Maharashtra in 2001, it was worse in the urban Maharshtra i.e. 908 due to large-scale abuse of amniocentesis, chorion villi Biopsy, sonography and ultrasound techniques for selective abortion of female foetuses. Child sex ratio for rural Maharashtra was found to be 923 in 2001. Both print and audio-visual media have supported the initiatives of womens groups and health organisations to stop abuse of advanced scientific techniques for femicide. At the same time, some of the national dailies blatantly publish advertisements of the techno-docs offering such services. Twenty years of gender sensitisation of the decision making bodies concerning continuously declining sex-ratio (number of women per 1000 men) resulting into

deficit of women made the media publicity departments of official agencies alert when the results of 2001 Census were out. All national dailies and important magazines have been giving detailed coverage on the deficit of women in the population. Analysis of missing girls due to adverse child sex ratio appears periodically in the print as well as the electronic media. Public Health Issues: Half of the women in Maharashtra are anaemic. Women with mild, moderate and severe anaemia were 31.5 %, 14.1 % and 2.9 % respectively.6 NGOs in health care sector, the state branch of UNICEF and a global network such as Peoples Health Assembly have promoted media campaign on this issue through exhibition, calendars, posters and booklets highlighting low cost and affordable sources of iron rich and nutritious diet as well as egalitarian distribution of intrahousehold food supply among male and female members of the households. Maharashtra has the most widespread and effective network of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) targeting children of 0-6 years age group and pregnant and lactating mothers. Documentaries, flip charts, training material, resource kits provided by UNICEF in English are adapted and translated into local language for wider coverage. District level dissemination workshops are organised in Marathi by the health educationists from the voluntary sector, corporate world and the government departments. Centre for Inquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT) and Foundation for Research in Community Health (FRCH) have prepared slide shows, video-films and published posters on women specific health concerns. Reproductive Health Indicators: More than 1/3 of women in Maharashtra have more than 3 children. Nearly 2/3 of all women in the state have knowledge of all family planning methods. Couple protection rate using any modern method of contraception is 58.3 %. Ante Natal care was given to 87.8 % of total women in the

state, out of which 54.8 receive full ANC and 57 % of them had institutional deliveries. Highest coverage in media is about the family planning issues and implications of HIV-AIDS. It is easy to get sponsors for films, slide shows, television spots, advertisements and radio programmes on HIV-AIDs. Women and HIV-AIDS: Except for a feature film made by Action Aid on the subject, materials on HIV-AIDs is to crude, simplistic and thrives on fear-complex. Street-plays, slide shows, docu-dramas and poster exhibition on aid awareness are too didactic, preachy and treat the aid patients as inanimate objects. Millions of rupees are flushed for the so-called cause of HIV-AIDS awareness, hence all types of experts thriving on half-backed knowledge and half-hearted efforts have joined the bandwagon. As a result, genuine public education through media is a major casualty. Much hyped Balbir Pasha-Manjula Campaign (BPMC) for HIV-AIDS awareness by Population Service International (PSI) that crudely portrayed the issue resulting into sensasionalisation, was taken to task by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW).7 Public hearing of the campaign was organised and verdict was given that it was derogatory to women. PSI was asked to remove all its BPMC hoardings within a week of the notice served by the commission and come up with the fresh campaign that had to be approved by MSCW, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, the department of police, Consumer Fora and non-government organisations. Focus of the campaign that as long as Balbir used condom, it was right for him to be promiscuous or visit sex-workers was questioned. The cities of Maharashra have 1 lakh child sex workers who also face scourge of HIV/AIDS. About 1/4th of women in Maharashtra had some symptoms of Reproductive Tract Infection and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.8 In this context, it is important to highlight that sex with child prostitute is not only illegal but it is non-consensual and

barbaric. A mandate was given that the campaign should focus on scientific/medical information on AIDS awareness, ask people to stay away from red light areas, practice safe sex between married couples and reflect high sense of morality. Female Headed Households: Widowed, divorced and separated women in the state together number around 8.8 million and constitute 9.1 % of the population. Female Headed Households (where main economic burden of the households is shouldered by women of the households) 8.6 % of the total rural and 6.6 % of the total urban households. Only voluntary groups supported media has focussed on their problems with perspective of empowerment. Hindi serials and movies have projected stereotypical image of female-headed households as helpless, meek, weepy women subsisting on either manual or semi-skilled work. Women in the Workforce: As per 2001 Census, work participation rate of women in Maharashtra was 24% and sum total of main and marginal female workers constituted 36 % of the work force. Only 13% of urban women in Maharashtra are part of the workforce. The largest number of women in the urban sector is self-employed and comprise of hawkers, domestic workers and scavengers/ rag pickers. Agriculture is the biggest employer of women in Maharashtra. According to 2001 census, of the 12.7 million women working in rural Maharashtra, 89 % are employed in agriculture (48 % as agricultural labourers and 41 % cultivators). Sex ratio of farm workers is 1311 women per 1000 men i.e. more women than men work as farm workers. 9 Still, the mass communication media projects only male as a farmer. Now, there have been some welcome efforts. Series of posters published by International Labour Organisation in Hindi and English are circulated among womens groups, trade unions, and womens studies centres by COMET Media, Mumbai. At the time of 2001 census enumeration, the Government of Maharashtra

published posters in Marathi concerning types of economic activities women do. The television spots on womens work also appeared frequently during the census enumeration period. Women employment rate for 2000 was 10 % for Central Government, 11 % for the state government and 26.5 for the local government.10 Media notices these women only when they are sexually harassed at the work place. Sexual Harassment at Workplace: After the directive of the Supreme Court of India following Vishakha & others versus State of Rajasthan Cases Judgement, the mainstream media eagerly awaits news of Sexual harassment at work place. One page advertisement endorsed by the Department of Women and Child development, defining sexual harassment as unwelcome sexually determined behaviour as physical contacts and advances, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography and sexual demands, whether by words or action appeared all English and language news-papers. The issue has been debated time and again in the electronic media in English and regional languages. India Centre for Human Rights and Law, Stree Mukti Sangathana and Sakhya have printed posters explaining legal provision for the victim and punishment for offenders involved in sexual harassment at work-place. When the issue was debated in the Bombay University College Teachers Union, media responded encouragingly.11 Educational Profile of women: In terms of literacy rate Maharashtra ranks 2nd among Indian States. The state government has made education free for girls up to Std. XII. In 2001 Female Literacy rate (Age 7+) was 67.51 %. It was 59.12 % for rural and 79.25 % for the urban women. Enrolment Ratio for girls to age groups 6-11, 11-14 and 6-14 99.70, 85.80 and 95.20 respectively in the year 2000 A.D.12 Girls drop out at the end of primary

school in the largest proportions. Female drop out rates for 7th and 10th std. were. 32% and 56 % respectively.13 School attendance rates of boys and girls in the age group of 6-14 were 60.9 % and 55.5 % respectively in 2000.14 S.S.C. and H.S.C Examination Results of March 2000 revealed that girl-students performed better than their male counterparts, in S.S.C. examination 53.34 % girls and 47.45 % boys passed while in H.S. C. examination 68.02 % girls and 55.92 % boys passed.15 Education Media Research Centre, Pune has done commendable work of promoting womens rights through its documentaries. AVEHI (Audio Visual Education Resource Centre) is NGO that has an excellent video library on development oriented issues and it also provides audio-visual resources to institutional and community organisations at a nominal cost. AVEHI is committed to the understanding/ position, Implementation of Gender sensitive strategies within the system and effective use of the tools by activists outside the system can certainly generate awareness and spread the consciousness necessary for change favourable for the empowerment of women.16 COMET Media also does similar activities by organising fairs in which celebrity figures are invited. Effective Use of Communication Media by Stree Mukti Sangathana (SMS) & Granthali, Maharashtra: Since 1974, SMS has been involved in public education about women's rights through songs, skits, music ballets, plays, carnival and mobile exhibition in the first decade of its existence. Three male animators (who were hero-worshipped by women members of SMS) from the fields of media, education and social movement played crucial role in this phase. Main strength of this organisation is long lasting team building and absence of hedonism. By 1985, end of the UN decade, SMS managed to go high-tech by marketing its productions through series of audio and video cassettes, by making

headway in the mainstream media (Radio and television), several publications and a mouth-piece in Marathi. Its plays on socialisation of girl-child, dowry, Pandita Ramabai were staged all over Maharashtra. Many non-Maharashtrians also expressed their interest in organising the shows. This encouraged them to go for their Hindi production and allow other groups to perform these plays in several Indian languages. Spartan lifestyle of the performers who could also handle discussions, sell books and explain posters to common citizens and villagers won the hearts of people across the class, caste and political boundaries which represent 85% of the population. In the post-1992 period, SMS has made special efforts to reach out to the minority communities (Muslims- 11%, Sikhs- 2% and Christians- 2.4% of the population) through their active participation in the Literacy Mission. Granthali is a library movement spear-headed by secular-minded intellectual elite of Maharashtra, which imbibed the ethos of liberal humanism of 19th century social reform movement. Publication of original Marathi works, translations from English and other regional languages, celebration of the book-release function in an educational and nonthreatening manner and their distribution through exhibition-cum-sale-cum-discussion by celebrity intellectuals are the most attractive aspects of this movement. It conveys the message that intellectual stalwarts are not in their ivory towers but they are rooted in the local culture. They don't despise ordinary mortals but respect them as socially useful human beings. Educational material generated by Granthali has been found useful for classroom teaching and teachers' training on social development issues. Legal Rights of Women: Nari Samata Manch, Pune based womens rights group came out with a slide show and series of posters regarding womens legal rights in the arena of civil, criminal and labour laws as per the constitution of India. The exhibition with captions in Marathi travelled from places to places within the state. The

Department of Social Welfare decided to print the complete series of the posters and distributed through out the state through its official channels. The state government also supported the efforts of dissemination of Maharashtra Policy for Women in 1994 through its communication channels. Many television channels have telecast Women and Law serials, panel discussions, Case studies highlighting legal battles of women in Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi and English. Several newspapers and community radios promote awareness on legal rights of women. In this regards, the regional language media is more supportive of womens cause. Gender Audit of the State Budget: Media has started focusing on implications of budget on women.17 Budget impacts womens lives in several ways. It directly promotes womens development through allocation of budgetary funds for womens programmes and reduces opportunities for empowerment of women through budgetary cuts. Structural adjustment programmes and globalisation policies have directly increased womens unpaid work burden, thereby increased women- provided subsidy in the economy. Devaluation of income for the majority of masses as a result of new economic policy coupled with price rise, erosion of public distribution system and reduction of services offered by the public health system have made women bear disproportionate share of burden, because in the patriarchal families women have to shoulder responsibility of providing meals and looking after the sick family members. Hence women have high stakes in preventing an increase in the proportion of indirect taxes on essential commodities and in budgetary provisions to guarantee food security and health care. Hence, careful study of the working of PDS and local taxonomy on food security and impact on nutrition, health and health services of budgetary allocations is a must.18 The National Centre for Advocacy Studies, Centre for Budget Studies, CEHAT and Youth for Unity and Action have decided to use multi-media

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channels to enhance awareness about bottom- up budget, gender budget, green budget and social sector budget. Communication Strategies for Empowerment of Women in Maharashtra: The state has the highest number of women writers, painters, journalists, feature and documentary film makers, institutes for mass communications with gender-sensitive syllabi and a band of committed, hardworking and sincere teachers in mass communication. Because of their combined efforts, they have been able to create strong alternate media dedicated to the cause of empowerment of women. They also provide critical evaluation of the commercial media. a. Women and Media Group: The WMG is composed of women journalists and filmmakers and it has existed for two decades. It started as a media-monitoring group. It critiqued gender-neutral reporting. Later on, it started highlighting those women specific issues that mainstream media was either trivialising, marginalizing or was providing a distorted image of women. Gender-bias in the media was analysed threadbear by the group. Now, it has become Womens Network with its own website. It organises workshops on crucial issues affecting womens lives and struggles. b. Women Writers Association: WWA was formed in the late 1970s as a platform for sharing of experiences and for enhancing the confidence of women writers in Marathi who were ignored by the mainstream literary movement. This non-elitist autonomous body served as network for creative women novelists, short-story writers, poetesses and scriptwriters to carve their niche in Maharashtras literary scene. c. Conveying womens Message through Creative Expressions: In the womens movement in Maharashtra, the most attractive aspect is the use of poems and songs. They depict plight of women as the following poem does: BATERED WOMEN

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Someone in the crowd of a hundred is a badly battered woman. Someone in the crowd of a hundred is a widely relishing man. Even if you don't believe this theory You are supposed to know, Every second of an hour A woman is battered sore. Some women in the crowd of a hundred Are killed as soon as they are born No one cares for her future For her life is only torn. You might not believe me surely You might as well be informed A man is given more importance Than women when they are born. One woman in the crowd of a hundred Is respected when she is at birth ONLY one man in the crowd of a hundred Takes a woman out of deep dirt. You don't need to believe what I say But you must surely be shown How for a ninety-nine women The future of one man is glowed One woman in the crowd of a hundred

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Is not a victim of this injustice. But all men in the crowd of a hundred The honour of women in all ways dismiss. - LARA JESANI Paintings: Art Galleries and museums are patronised by the industrial and intellectual elite even in the district places in Maharahstra. Painting has proved to be one of the most powerful medium of conveying womens empowerment. Now, many wealthy women own galleries or are ready to sponsor exhibitions of women painters. Women painters display their paintings either in a group or solo. Newsletters: Mahila Rajsatta (i.e. Womens political power) is a newsletter for women in panchayati raj institutions dedicated for empowerment and capacity building of women elected representatives in Gram Panchayats, Taluka Panchayats and Zilla Panchayats. It is circulated through out the state and is published by Resource and Support Centre for Development. Newsletter of Indian Association for Womens Studies is published by Savitribai Phule Womens Studies Centre of Pune Vidyapeeth. Journals: Many womens groups in Maharashtra have in-house journals in Marathi supported through subscriptions and donations. The oldest of them is Baija (i.e. women). Its coverage reflects needs and aspirations of the working class women. Stree Lalakari (i.e. Elan of Women) is a mouthpiece of Stree Mukti Sangathan and highlights development alternative with women. Milun Sarya Jani (i.e. After getting together) is supported by intellectually inclined and cerebral women from the middle and upper class. A veteran journalist, Ms. Vidya Bal, who was an editor of Stree, popular womens magazine supported by an industrial house gave up her lucrative job to work full-time for Milun Sarya Jani.

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Mainstream Media Construction of new gender relations in some of the advertisements must be encouraged. Even the chat-shows projecting new and realistic images of selfconfident career women, caring father, efficient male cooks (who are not comic characters), male beauticians, male fashion designers with professional touch are gender-sensitive. Interviews with women entrepreneurs, women industrialists, women managers convey that both, the interviewers and the interviewees know their profession well. In comparison, Hindi film industry's record is quite deplorable with its crude dialogues, male violence and voyeurism. What Hollywood did in the seventies, Bollywood did in the nineties. Both betrayed the male anxiety towards increasing autonomy and self-confidence of women. In the millennium era, Bollywoods main obsession has been to get recognition from the white media barons with global stakes. Hence the Indian womens concerns are major casualty in the Hindi film industry. Army of blond-looking adolescents are recruited in the film industry to project themselves as dancing dolls and comfort women of rich or heroic men. Most of the English newspapers are following ICE (Information, Communication and Entertainment) policy to serve the interests of the male dominated corporate world, Trans national corporations and multi-national corporations. Alternate Media Ms. Vidya Bal, a veteran journalist has carved her niche by making alternate media as appealing as the mainstream Marathi media. She epitomises rising feminist consciousness among women in media. Recounting her progress in journalism, Ms. Bal said that during her transition phase she met various people and started questioning things, which probably had been untouched thus farThis made her drop

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regular columns on beauty, cuisines and introduce write ups which identified the problems of middle class women. She gradually changed feminine outlook of the magazine to the feminist one. Sophia Centre for Womens studies and Development has launched a journal Urdhva Mula with goals and objectives of womens empowerment through womens studies and development. The verses, scripted and visualised by Sr. Ananda Amritmahal, one of the editors of the journal conveys their enthusiasm through an imaginative exploration of the theme of woman. We search for the meaning and direction; Rooted in the real, reaching for the starsThe paradox that defines all that is human Directed inwards by the boundaries of experience Turning on the centre That s the spirit, within and transcendent, We seek guidance and inspiration from inner wellsprings. A new hope flickers into being, tentative and nebulous, Then slowly clearer and more insistent. Tradition and vision fuse together Bringing to birth a dream: A dream that draws life and nourishment From the tradition in which we are steeped from birth And the vision of hopes that beckons us onwards; A dream shaped by various forces and influences But taking its own unique form. Exposure to mass media (Radio, T.V, News papers, magazines, internet): Increasing coverage of mass media in terms of increase in number of women subscribers, special columns for women in the newspapers and magazines, womens programmes in radio and televisions has changed womens aspirations. Depiction of plurality of life-styles, dress codes, languages, and food-habits has brought multicultural outlook in the civil society. Among illiterate and semi-literate women radio is extremely popular, as it does not prevent them from toiling. Moreover, radio provides mainly non-violent entertainment and information.

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Television: Elitist values Television broadcasting has assumed tremendous importance in the urban, rural and tribal Maharashtra among the working class, which has a low literacy rate and has varied cultures and multiple languages. In the past, 5 decades there has been a tremendous growth in terms of reach and impact of television broadcasting. While advertisement revenue is currently the main source of revenue for satellite broadcasters, there is a distinct shift towards pay channel. Currently there are number of National & Regional channels like Star TV, Zee TV, Sony TV and nearly 45 Regional Channels. Among this Doordarshan is a leading channel which reaches 28 crore people and it has been watched in remote areas also. Doordarshan has 28 sub-channels, to meet the regional demands. Doordarshan shows mainly sponsorship programmes where a producer has to buy time slot and show the programme and FCT (Free Commercial Timing), which they get. They can sell it to various sponsors and earn the revenue. The other channels mainly show commission based programmes where producers get fix amount for the programme and they have to manage within the budget, since both sponsorship and commissioned programme heavily depends on commercial revenue, which comes to them through commercials mainly dominated by multinational companies operating in consumer products, soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, fabrics, automobile, food products etc. and 98% budget is controlled by 7-8 leading Advertising agency which represents multinational i.e. Hindustan Liver,

Colgate, Pepsi, Coco-cola, Palmolive etc. hence basic thrust on programme remains entertainment and under this prefix viewers are kept in elusive ways and mostly glamour based programmes based on mythology, horror, crime based or programme heavily dependent on old out dated values and away from the reality.

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The issues or problem concerned with common man hardly find place in the channels and various social organisations and NGOs have to depend on private shows through stage, small films, street plays, documentaries to focus this issue of concern but has very limited reach. People's Media Initiative since its inception in year 2000 endeavouring to promote the programmes with human-touch for which focus has been always given to human rights violation, exploitation, workers issues, environment & pollution related issues, gender equality issues, police excesses, displacement, issue before civic society, child labour, slum demolitions, custodial deaths, secularism, peace and social/gender justice. People's Media Initiative has started similar programme for Marathi Tara,"Shanta Court Chalu Ahe," in which PMI has taken case of false Encounter killing of Nomadic Tribes people in Baramati, Pune. Other themes have been suicide by workers of Mafatlal Mill, and non-payment of wage issue, National Park slum issue, and police excesses against Dalits etc. During this period PMI has acquired Digital DV Mini Camera, useful for field coverage. PMI feels that the endeavour, which is initiated, should not stop, as it is an open opportunity that brings human rights issues boldly before lakhs of Television viewers. People's Media Initiative is willing to collaborate, on act on behalf any other organisation, or to produce television program jointly with others or pass on all the rights or float fresh organisation with like-minded people with basic motive to do Television programs on Human rights issue, secularism, peace, womens rights, etc. PMI intends to start programmes on main National Television channels. So far the money it generated was payment, which it received from TARA T.V., Bank loan and self-contribution, now PMI is established with committed experienced staff drawn from Poona Film Institute and other field. Efforts are made to make PMI a successful

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body engaged in People's issue and concentrate in mass media television. PMI is looking for strategic partnership with any Individual, Body, Institutions, Media firm or NGOs who can either fund it or join hand with creative and financial contribution. The organisers feel that PMI can be a profitable venture also, if they go to main Indian and International Television Channels. Newspapers: All newspapers in Maharshtra have women journalists who are ready to do field jobs. This has encouraged gender sensitive reporting. Women journalists and reporters are ready to do night duty and difficult duty also. Veteran women journalists have been inducted in decision-making bodies. This has created favourable atmosphere for womens empowerment. Magazines: With economic globalisation, womens magazines have narrowed their focus to single theme, i.e. consumerism. Obsession of various types of beauty contests, gossip about rich and famous women, human body and sex as consumer items, fashion parade and cookery are the main features of magazines targeting women readers. Little magazines by special interest groups of women come out irregularly. Internet: Among English, Marathi and Gujarati knowing women internet is becoming increasingly popular. Young women regularly go to cyber-cafe. It has opened new vistas for information and knowledge. Educational institutions, NGOs, Government departments, industry, financial institutions are ready to give employment to computer + internet savvy women. Tele working has become major occupation for young women. Some Danger Signals:

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Indecent Representation of Women in Media Investigation of major sex scandals concerning paedophilia and sexual abuse of children in Maharashtra has revealed that soft porn as well as hard porn of X, XX and XXX varieties escalating violence against women and children. Indecent representation of women is responsible for increasing violence against women. Maharashtra State Commission for Women has instituted two awards for the worst advertisement Duryodhana Award and for the worst film Rakshasa Award. The selection of awardees is made by voting by womens institutions, colleges, educational institutions, etc. This has provided opportunity to channelize womens anger against obscene and discriminatory portrayal of women in advertisements and films. Pornography and Women Globalisation has escalated the sales of pornographic video-films distributed through cable networks. Cyber porn is openly watched in computer rooms of colleges, university campuses and cyber-cafes. Mushrooming cyber cafes in the interiors of Maharashtra are also taking newer forms of violence against women to the rural masses. Community-based leisure-time activities are reducing. People are inside the T.V. because there is vacuum outside the T.V. Different standards of morality for men and women are created by the film, television serials and advertisement industry. Boys and men who watch pornography are always on the look out for innocent adolescent girls. These girls are the victims of pornography, blackmail and physical/psychological coercion. Middle class girls with dependent parents and adolescent girls working as domestic workers become major targets of pornography. They also dont have any emotional support, as there are hardly any television and radio programmes for non-student urban girls. Dehumanisation of women can be

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prevented by promotion of womens agency in the media so that women can lead intellectually, psychologically and emotionally self-sufficient life. Action programme for media to prevent violence against women should be as follows: Monitoring of covert & overt VAW in print and audio-visual media and encouragement for public debate for mass education on construction of healthy men-woman relationship, sex-stereotypes, and glorification of angry, aggressive HE-man and masochist woman. Media Alternatives for non-violent relationship between men and women. Suffering in silence is not a virtue. can be an appeal of male protagonists. Demand for Portrayal of womens agency as an active contributor for social/ human development. Positive projection of female headed households (FHH) and special problems faced by FHH-jobs, housing, schooling of their children, property right. Womens Development programmes in Maharashtra- Advocacy Through Mass media Government Initiatives: Maharashtra was the first state to create a separate department of Women and Child development in 1993 and Maharashtra Policy for Women was announced in 1994, which marked out 5 areas for spirited implementation as follows: 1.Elimination of violence against women 2.Improvement of economic status of women 3.Promotion of women friendly personnel policies 4. Effective use of mass media for empowerment of women

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5. Enhancement of participation of women in local self-government bodies and in community. The state government has also proposed Bill of rights, granted women share in coparcenary property ( land and housing). 12 all women panchayats exist in the state. Membership of women in cooperatives is 11.60 % of the total. Percentage of women members in the Legislative Council is 20.5, the highest in the history of the state. The popular communication media has hardly done anything to project this hope generating ground reality. Documentary film on Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions made by Prakruti in Nagpur is shown by womens groups in their training programmes. Because of effective communication media and strong networking between GOs and NGOs, Maharashtra has been able to achieve reduction in Infant and maternal mortality rate. The state has also attained good progress in coverage, 80 % of children in the state have received all vaccines.19 Womens Participation in Local Bodies as on 1-4-2001 Elected Women Representatives Municipal Corporators Chairperson in Standing Committees in Municipal Corporation Members in Municipal Council Chairperson in standing committees of Municipal Council Zilla Parishad Members Chairperson in standing committees of Zilla Parishad Panchayat Samiti Members Chairperson in Panchayat Samiti Gram Panchayat Members Sarpanch in Gram Panchayats Source: Directorate of Economic and Statistics % 24.54 21.90 18.70 72.38 55.64 21.61 32.72 39.73 28.12 29.40

Womens collective and individual struggles in the Panchayati Raj institutions need larger and detailed coverage with highlight on processual dimensions in the print as well as electronic media. Women decision makers can provide role models for younger generation of women and inspire many educated women leading restricted 21

existence within domesticity. Though womens record in the local self-government bodies in Maharashtra is impressive, womens participation in the legislative Assembly and Legislative Council is depressing. For Tenure of the Assembly (19952000), there were only 11 women legislators among the total of 289 i.e. 3.8 %. Womens strength in Maharashtra Legislative Council for Tenure (1994-96) was 9 % only. The communication media has not provided analysis for this dismal scenario. NGO Initiatives: National Centre for Advocacy Studies provides useful information for media advocacy to pressurise the state government to further womens interests. One major hurdle in the way to womens empowerment is inadequate allocation of funds and equally important issue of non-utilisation of allocated funds. According to its Journal, Parliament Digest for the People, Rs. 1146.4 lakhs were released for the state government of Maharashtra under Balika Samrudhi Yojana between 1997-2002, but less than of the amount, only Rs. 533.25 lakhs were utilised. Maharashtra has 1,068,418 working children. NGOs have set up media advocacy cells to inform the concerned parties to utilise funds for empowerment of girls. In 2002, Maharashtra utilised only 66.5% of funds under MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Development Schemes). Antipathy of elected representatives to use budgetary allocation for women specific schemes and diversion of funds for womens programmes need massive media publicity. It can empower women elected representatives to control and utilise the state and central government funds for womens programmes. Among NGOs there are no two opinions about the use of mass media to improve womens participation in development process for their socio-economic, educational and political Empowerment. Now, press conferences and press briefings are given

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utmost importance by the womens rights organisations. Each and every event of the NGO activity is recorded through video or audiotaping. Compact discs are prepared for easy dissemination. Effect of Media on Womens Empowerment and Quality of Life Empowerment means energy and initiative, ability to be pro-active for widening the scope of womens rights. Media should help to popularise womens strategic gender needs and practical gender needs. 20 Strategic Gender Needs are different in different economic contexts and are determined by statutory provisions, affirmative action by the state, pro-active role of the employers to enhance womens position in the economy and social movements. Practical gender needs Practical Gender Needs are identified keeping into consideration, gender based division of labour or womens subordinate position in the economy. They are a response to immediate perceived necessity, identified within a specific context. They are practical in nature and often are concerned with inadequacies in living conditions such as provision of fuel, water, healthcare and employment. CONCLUSION Challenges posed by the new millennium have forced us to provide concrete and culture specific alternatives in favour of empowerment of women through communication media. We need more and more training workshops to understand technicalities of media technologies- camera angle, voice over, cinematography, aesthetic appeal, script writing, copy editing keeping into consideration womens empowerment. At the same time, we should not forget that the content analysis is the most important aspect. Impact analysis of popular media throws light on empowering and debilitating influence of media. Generation of alternate media for womens empowerment and protest against derogatory and indecent portrayal of women in

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media must go on simultaneously. Committed and gender sensitive men and women can implement gender sensitive strategies within the system and effective use of the media by activists outside the system can generate awareness and conscientise masses for social transformation favourable to empowerment of women.

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ENDNOTES:

Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar Preface of the Report of the Workshop on The Portrayal of Women in the Media, organised by The Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Mumbai, June 12, 2001. 2 Population Projection for Indian States, 2001. 3 Rapid Household Survey Under RCH Project 1998-99, IIPS, Mumbai. 4 Jeroo Mulla has been a guiding force for past 25 years for promotion of women specific themes for creative expression through slide and puppet shows, video and 36 m.m. films at Social Communication Media Department, Sophia College, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai-400026. 5 National Family Health Survey-2 (NFHS-2), India, 1998-99, International Institute of Population Sciences, Bombay , 2001. 6 Ibid. 7 The Asian Age, Mumbai, 15-1-2003. 8 Maharashtra Human Development Report, State Planning Board, Maharashtra, 2002 9 Census of Maharashtra, 2001. 10 Commissioner, Employment and Self-Employment, Navi Mumbai. 11 The Times of India, 19-2-1999. 12 Directorate of Education, Pune, 2000. 13 I bid. 14 Population Census, 2000. 15 Population Census, 2000. 16 Vandana Khare, AVEHI Report of the Workshop on The Portrayal of Women in the Media, organised by The Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Mumbai, June 12, 2001. 17 Brinda Karat Budgeting Women Out, The Hindu, 22-2-2002. 18 Vibhuti Patel Womens Challenges of the New Millennium, Gyan Publications, New Delhi, 2002. 19 Ibid. 20 Carolyn Moser Gender Planning and Development, Routledge, London, 1993.