The Portrayal of Women in TVC and Film: An Analysis in the Gender Perspective

Abstract

Bangladesh is developing as a role model in the world by the great contribution of half of its population- the womenfolk. But recognition of their contribution in every sector including media are very negligible. Deliberately or unintentionally, the Bangladeshi media presents women as virago, petulant, subversive, subordinate, house maker, servant, etc. (Sharmeen,2011). Audio-visual media tends to use women's beauty as a symbol of sexuality in televisions and movies, as society views women in the same way. Though, audio-visual media have a vast potential to create awareness, educate people against gender discrimination and recognize women’s contribution to society. But we observed that, in Bangladeshi films, female characters usually revolve around a limited number of images; the lascivious beautiful heroine, the loving mother, the vamp, or the woman of crooked character (Haq, 2006). This article aims to understand the trend of the use of content in powerful audio-visual media like televisions and films and its gender sensitiveness. Content analysis and case study methods have been used for the analysis. The works of literature and content which are collected from primary and secondary sources are analyzed to enrich the study reflections of this paper. Based on the findings of the study this article concludes that in the social structure of Bangladesh patriarchal social system is prevalent and this dominance is observed in all spheres of society and the media is no exception.