Should I be portrayed like this? An exploration of Indian women in television advertising

ABSTRACT

Advertisements act as a powerful medium for showcasing the role of women in society. The present study explores how women are portrayed in Indian television advertisements and how their portrayal varies according to the product categories. Content analysis of 268 commercials aired during the five popular Indian television shows has been undertaken to understand the role portrayal of women. The study highlights that women are primarily portrayed in a decorative and family role and rarely depicted as freewheelers and professionals in the products related to body beautification and household. However, the study notes a significant rise in situations where women are mostly portrayed as independent decision makers. This paper continues the conversation and adds to the existing literature about the role portrayal of women in media.

KEYWORDS:

• Advertisement
• role portrayal of women
• new indian woman
• content analysis
• product category
• representation of women

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Madhusmita Das

Madhusmita Das is working at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Hyderabad for last five years. She is a passionate researcher who works in the area of women portrayal in television advertising. She was nucleus member of Centre for Women Studies for 10 years. E-mail: [email protected]

Sangeeta Sharma

Sangeeta Sharma is an Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. She has made a contribution to classroom delivery, corporate connect and training, writing books and research papers, presenting papers at national and international conferences. She has published 26 books and 52 research papers in the area of gender studies, advertising, cultural studies, and communication in reputed journals. She is a licensed trainer for Springboard Development Program (U.K.). E-mail: [email protected]