Women in Indian Television Serials: Issues of Character, Representation and Acceptance

Television has been the most popular and effective media of mass consumption in India and it has played a key role in moulding and recreating opinions, reconstructing images and dominant cultural values of society. Television serial is the most accepted genre of television programme. Representation of gender and sensitivity in these serials have been questioned consistently as it has been observed television still perpetuates traditional gender stereotypes may be because it reflects dominant social values and reinforces them automatically that seems to be presenting them as 'natural'. Woman is represented to be quiet, gentle, vulnerable and submissive. Ideally they were the most obedient daughters, the sweetest sisters, the perfect mothers and idealistic wives. It is not a myth but a journey that despite all the debates, the serial have contributed massively to the growth of Indian Television and growing audience. This paper is an attempt to find out the impact and reality of its character representation and how television can overshadow the social and educational background of its viewers by giving birth to a mass culture caused by television serials.