We
develop a mindset about the kind of work that can be associated with each
gender. Women are typically seen as the homemakers while men as the breadwinners.
In the job scenario, women often are seen as doing the jobs that are considered
safe for them. So many women become teachers or nurses, roles that fit with
their image of caretaker. Professions that require a scientific or technical
knowledge are usually not considered fit for women. Firstly, because of the
risks involved and secondly, because of the stereotype attached that women may
not be able to handle technical things. As a result of these
stereotypes, we find people focusing more on educating the boys for professions
such as doctors, engineers and pilots. Girls rarely get the same encouragement
and motivation to pursue their dreams and goals. In our society and140
many other societies, people, especially children, face pressure from others.150
Their thinking is influenced by the adult’s thought process.160
For example, boys are trained to earn money while girls are trained in the
household jobs. Today, getting an education or going to school is pretty
common. Both boys and girls go to school. But what is perceived
as common today was not so in the past. In the past, girls and women did
not have access to education or schools. Those girls who dared to
acquire knowledge were not treated well by the society. However, the socio-religious
reformers brought changes in the society and education for girls.
Schools became more common and people who had never been to school started sending
their children to school. However, education for girls still did not receive
the desired results. Women continued struggling for280
their right to be educated.
Both
boys and girls attend schools today. However, this does not mean that
there is300 equality in education because the number of boys
and girls studying in schools is still disproportionate. The number of girls320
attending schools today is still much less than the desired numbers.
The percentage of literate males in 1961 was 40 and in 2011 was nearly 82. The
percentage of literate females in 1961 was as low as 15 per cent. Through
government efforts, this number has risen to 66 per cent in 2011. Yet many more
women remain illiterate. The reasons for inequality are many and varied.
Generally, the poor families cannot afford to send their children to school and
if they do, they usually send the male child and not the girl child as the male
child is considered420 the breadwinner. Another reason
is that in rural areas, sometimes the schools are not located nearby
which means that the girls have to travel long distances to reach the
school. 450
Parents do not consider this safe for girls and hence, they are deprived of
schooling. Sometimes the girls are discriminated against in the schools,
particularly if they belong to480 the scheduled tribe category, because of
the social differences that exist in our society. As a result, a number of
girls drop out. Yet another reason for girls not completing their
studies is the practice of early marriage or child marriage which is
still prevalent in some parts of India . In recent times, girls and women have
been encouraged to exercise their right to education and to take up any
profession. Girls today have the right to be educated and are560
participating in almost all spheres of life. This is the result
of years of struggle and reforms to uplift women’s legal status, improve their
health, end violence against them, provide employment opportunities,
etc. Women all over the country have struggled600 individually and
collectively to ring about these changes. Several men have also lent
their support to the struggles. The movement has acquired a dynamic character
through the efforts of a number of people.
Since
ancient times, women in India640 were deprived of equal rights as men and
were subjected to follow rigid traditions and had very low status in the
society. They faced many social evils such as sati, purdah system,
violence, female infanticide, child marriages and so on. This began to
change in the nineteenth century when a new consciousness that emphasized on women’s
rights spread among the people. 700 During the struggle for Independence , many women
came to the forefront to participate in the struggle. It was during this
time that many social reforms and movements to uplift the status
of women were witnessed. It was a mixture of different social reformers
that spearheaded the movements. The fight750 against
discrimination and efforts to empower women in all walks of life
continues even in today’s times. Through the years, people have adopted
different ways to fight the discrimination. These include campaigning,
protesting, spreading awareness amongst people to change the mindset of the
people. Many initiatives and government policies800 have also been
implemented to bring about a change in the way women and girls
are treated in the society. Women in general and women activists and women’s
rights advocates in particular continue to fight against any violation of
women’s rights. If840 an act or law violates their interest,
they stand up to protest and raise their voice against it. The women’s movement
has had an important role to play in raising awareness on important issues
concerning women such as their rights, education and health. The awareness
raising campaigns are undertaken in the form of street plays, public
meetings, cultural programmes, etc.900 Women activists launch rallies and
protests which help to create public awareness and the police and
judiciary also take notice of these issues. Although there still is gender
inequality prevailing in the society, the opportunities available to women have
broadened over the years and their future prospects have improved. We await the
day when inequality between the rights960 of men and women will completely
fade away.
Advertisement
is a promotional activity where the manufacturer or the trader or the service980
provider is called an advertiser; the message or the information supplied
is called advertisement and the media through which such information is
supplied are called the media of advertising. On the basis of the
purpose served by the advertisements, they can be classified into
commercial advertisements, non-commercial advertisements and social
advertisements. The aim of the commercial advertisements is to promote
certain products and services and persuade people to choose them. 1050
Commercial advertisements help in increasing the demands of a product.
Non-commercial advertisements are meant for giving information about different
charitable institutions, non-governmental and governmental organizations or political
parties and the work done by them. The government also uses media to
communicate with general public to give information about its welfare
schemes and policies. The purpose of such advertisements is to
spread awareness about social issues such as precautions to prevent1120
certain diseases, safety rules to be followed, etc. This is known as
social advertising. Advertisements help in creating an image for the brands as
they highlight the unique features of the product. Advertising can also help in
making a brand appealing to the different concerns of the consumer and hence,
build their own brand values. Advertising is essential in getting the people to
buy a brand. First of all, the company or the manufacturer decides
upon the product1120 that they wish to launch. The
company then hires an advertising agency. It is the task of the
advertising agency to find out who would be the target consumer and
launch a campaign accordingly. The advertising agency carries out a survey across
various cities and sections of the society and comes up with a campaign to
launch the product successfully in the market. 1260 A marketing
strategy is then drawn up by the company and the product is first1280
tested among a small section of the target consumer along with the visuals
and advertisements. Once the marketing strategy is considered successful,
the advertising campaign is finalized. It is then released through the
media along with the launch of the product.
Advertisements have a strong
influence on how we choose to buy or consume different items. This in turn
impacts our lives and how we perceive things and ourselves. As1350
more and more products and services are advertised on different media,
there is an increase in the desire to buy or consume these products and
services even though one does not need them. This is known as
consumerism. It is another example of the impact that advertising has on
people. Advertisements can also be misleading1400 and make false
claims about different products and services. This will make
consumers choose these products and services even though it may not be beneficial
for them. There is also a deep link between democracy1440
and advertisement. Although advertisements are free to creatively express ideas
and opinions promoting different products and services, they also exhibit
inequality. Making the advertisements and advertising through different
media costs a lot of money. Such amount of money can only be invested by
big business houses. Therefore, people with small business cannot afford to
advertise their products or services which1500 in turn impact their sales. Consumers
also get influenced by the advertisements and prefer packaged or branded
products over other products manufactured by small producers. Therefore, the sales
and income of people with smaller business is adversely affected and
this forces them out of the market, reinforcing inequality between
people with big business and small business. Though advertising appeals to our personal
emotions and have a strong influence on our lifestyles, as citizens of a
democratic society, we must make independent choices. We must encourage
advertisement with social messages and discourage products that highlight the
inequalities in society. 1598