Positive Use of Television in Changing the Perception/Gender Portrayal of Women

Abstract
Modern media continually models the behavior of the people, who are exposed to its content. It re-initiates values through its power to touch minds and hence, is a strong model of socialization consciously or unconsciously, over a period of time. Television as a modem medium perpetuates cultural values, from repeated association with its content. These values may be either positive or negative. Women are widely represented and also mis-represented by the television, especially since modernity dictates our everyday existence, as we try to find our identity. Women are defined through gender roles. These gender roles define the way women and men behave in society and in relation to each other, and the way in which they perceive themselves and their attitudes. Gender relations affect the unequal power relations in society, these gender relations structure the roles of men and women, shape the ideas, knowledge, values, culture, attitudes, structure of society and, in essence, social life itself, and are reinforced in books, stories, songs and largely the media nowadays. "Gender is constructed socially and identifies the relationship between men and women, in the context of power relations using institutions such as the family, the church and religion, school and education, and the state and law
Description
Keywords
Feminism, Gender
Citation