Misrepresentation of gender in media leading to 'systematic' subordination of women

By Arjun Kumar*
To examine the portrayal of women in media, the inequalities perpetuated till date, and access of media to women and girls, #IMPRI Gender Impact Studies Center (GISC), Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi presented a discussion with Anita Parihar on Gender and Media as part of the series The State of Gender Equality – #GenderGaps.
Prof Vibhuti Patel, former professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), as the chair of the talk, began the talk by mentioning the improper portrayal of women in the media. She also spoke about the different movements involving women since before independence, including the #MeToo movement where women began voicing the discrimination faced by them.
Following this, Anita Parihar, media practitioner, talked about influential work of Ester Boserup who focused on economic and agricultural development. She affirmed that gender is a construct, determined by societies and culture. While we are born as males and females, we grow to be men and women as described by society as a whole.
At the same time, consumers have become the makers of media as we learn about how to communicate information in various ways. Good research is important for film-making and media so that the reality is reflected. Typically, women are relegated to soft stories while men are assigned to work on more crucial issues.
“Media can essentially be used as a mirror to show a picture through which society can move forward”, Parihar said, adding, "Young people have to join hands to come up with workable and innovative solutions during these difficult times."

Gendered media

Dr Khevana Desai, assistant professor, Department of Sociology, Mithibai College of Arts, Mumbai, spoke about regional media and multilingual media on OTT platforms. She posed the questions: “What is gendered media? Is the focus on how many women are there in media or what kind of women are portrayed?”

Ester Boserup

The question of representation vs recognition as well as women in media vs media by women is also pertinent in this regard. Predominantly, West Indian media revolved around food, film, and fashion on one hand and content on academia, activism, and literary aesthetics on the other.
Several shows with women-centric content contain stereotypes and social issues are glorified. Meenal Patel, Trupti Shah, Saroop Dhruv and Kama Bhasin have been focusing on feminist content while maintaining literary aesthetics. Dr Desai mentioned that women, when portrayed in different roles, are shown as abusers and as emulating men.
Dr Saptam Patel, assistant professor, Amrut Mody School of Management, and assistant dean, Undergraduate College, Ahmedabad University, said that critical gender-related issues in media should be incorporated into academic discourses. The issue of invisibility of women has always existed as women have been deprived of recognition for a long time.
Misrepresentation of women in arts and media has confirmed a systematic subordination of women and although collective individual efforts to shift the landscape and address the issues are emerging, they have not led to much progress. “Media is an extremely powerful tool that can build and shape perspectives”, Dr Patel said.
The misrepresentation can affect the pace at which social change is happening. Media projects gender as a binary, and mostly the different gender identities are neglected. Gender misrepresentation and stereotypes can lead to a much distorted idea of self in people.
Usually, gender non-binary does not feature in media apart from in documentaries and a few commercial films, and people from such communities are not empowered, struggling to make a living. The art world, whether visual or performing, is typically a man’s world and feminist works have not been able to break the barriers yet.

Nischint Hora, honorary co-projects director, Vacha, Mumbai, said that Vacha is a resource centre for women that mainly focuses on the empowerment of girls. One of their projects involves training girls from socially and economically backward backgrounds and enabling them to write and tell their stories.
Every community brings out a newsletter once a year, discussing their own issues and conducting interviews. Various skills were taught to the girls including photography and technology became an enabling factor for them as previously, boys received technological devices before girls.
---
*Director, IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi. Inputs: Simi Mehta, Anshula Mehta, Ritika Gupta, Sunidhi Agarwal, Sakshi Sharda, Swati Solanki, Mahima Kapoor. Acknowledgment: Ritheka Sundar is a research intern at IMPRI

Comments

Wave of disappearances sparks human rights fears for activists in Delhi

By Harsh Thakor* A philosophy student from Zakir Hussain College, Delhi University, and an activist associated with Nazariya magazine, Rudra, has been reported missing since the morning of July 19, 2025. This disappearance adds to a growing concern among human rights advocates regarding the escalating number of detentions and disappearances of activists in Delhi.

How community leaders overcome obstacles to protect forests and pastures in remote villages

By Bharat Dogra Dheera Ram Kapaya grew up in such poverty that, unable to attend school himself, he would carry another boy’s heavy school bag for five kilometers just to get a scoop of daliya (porridge). When he was finally able to attend school, he had to leave after class five to join other adolescent workers. However, as soon as opportunities arose, he involved himself in community efforts—promoting forest protection, adult literacy, and other constructive initiatives. His hidden talent for writing emerged during this time, and he became known for the songs and street play scripts he created to promote forest conservation, discourage child marriages, and support other social reforms.

‘Act of war on agriculture’: Aruna Rodrigues slams GM crop expansion and regulatory apathy

By Rosamma Thomas* Expressing appreciation to the Union Agriculture Minister for inviting suggestions from farmers and concerned citizens on the sharp decline in cotton crop productivity, Aruna Rodrigues—lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case ongoing since 2005 that seeks a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops—wrote to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 14, 2025, stating that conflicts of interest have infiltrated India’s regulatory system like a spreading cancer, including within the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The GMO illusion: Three decades of hype, harm, and false hope

By Sridhar Radhakrishnan Three decades of hype, billions of dollars spent, and still no miracle crop. It's time to abandon the GMO biotech fairy tale and return to the soil, the seed, and the farmer. “Trust us,” they said. “GMOs will feed the world.” Picture a world where there is plenty of food, no hunger, fields grow without chemical pesticides, children are saved from malnutrition, and people live healthily.

Sandra Gonzalez Sanabria: An inspiring life from Colombia’s Amazonian valley

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* In the village of Héctor Ramírez, known as Agua Bonita, in La Montañita, Caquetá, Colombia, a vision of peace and renewal is unfolding. In the pre-2016 period, this would have been nearly impossible for outsiders to visit, as it was the epicenter of violent resistance against state oppression. However, after the Peace Accord was signed between the Colombian government and former revolutionaries—marking the end of a 70-year insurgency that claimed over 400,000 lives until 2025, including civilians, rebel fighters, and security personnel—things began to change. Visiting Agua Bonita during the Global Land Forum in Bogotá revealed a village of hope and resilience. Former FARC revolutionaries have settled here and transformed the village into a center of peace and aspiration.

Indigenous Karen activist calls for global solidarity amid continued struggles in Burma

By A Representative At the International Festival for People’s Rights and Struggles (IFPRS), Naw Paw Pree, an Indigenous Karen activist from the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG), shared her experiences of oppression, resilience, and hope. Organized with the support of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), the event brought together Indigenous and marginalized communities from across the globe, offering a rare safe space for shared learning, solidarity, and expression.

Activists allege abduction and torture by Delhi Police Special Cell in missing person probe

By A Representative A press statement released today by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleges that several student and social activists have been abducted, illegally detained, and subjected to torture by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The CASR claims these actions are linked to an investigation into the disappearance of Vallika Varshri, an editorial team member of 'Nazariya' magazine.

India’s zero-emission, eco-friendly energy strategies have a long way to go, despite impressive progress

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent report released by OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2025 has predicted that by the year 2050, crude oil would replace coal as India’s key energy source. Clearly, OPEC expects that India’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy will continue to remain high in one form or another.

Gender violence defies stringent laws: The need for robust social capital

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The tragic death of Miss Soumyashree Bisi, a 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan College, Balasore, who reportedly self-immolated due to harassment, shocked the conscience of Odisha. Even before the public could process this horrifying event, another harrowing case emerged—a 15-year-old girl from Balanga, Puri, was allegedly set ablaze by miscreants. These incidents are not isolated; they highlight a disturbing pattern of rising gender-based violence across the state and the country.

Search This Blog