I generally cover the “economics beat” here on SM and one of my favorite nuggets is the complex interplay between econ and culture. There’s a certain non-PC’ness there that I love to indulge although it admittedly leaves many feeling a tad uneasy. Why non-PC? Well, if culture and economics are intertwined…. and since econ outcomes are (generally) measurable…. and it (generally) ain’t too hard to say that richer is better than poorer…. you end up treading dang close to quantifying how one culture might (generally) be better than another.
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A purveyor of oppressively unrealistic bourgeois imagery or the fountain of liberation? The numbers are starting to come in… |
There are a couple of important “pressure escape valves”to keep in mind though. First, cultures are as non-uniform as they are notoriously difficult to define (“model minority” discussions – for ex here – usually wade deep into this territory). Second, and in our case perhaps more importantly, the economic + technology machine’s dynamism necessarily turns around and affects the host culture. This impact is both for better and for worse with a range of attitudes on where it all nets out (shouldn’t be hard to figure out where I land 
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While we’re quick to note the emergence of social networking or blog culture on the Internet, the real, important change happens at a comparatively more pedestrian level, and often with far less cutting edge tech. This latter effect is profoundly visible in India (and, of course, China) and is now yielding some fascinating new research looking at the effects of a liberalized television market on rural Indian women…
Writing a few yrs ago on SM, we tossed an offhand reference to the boob tube, in response to an excellent WSJ OpEd by Amit Varma –
The boob tube – for all the disdain hoisted upon it by elite cultural commentators – is also a force for breaking the back of ignorance and the well of low expectations.
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Better than 5 Yrs of School? |
This paper explores the effect of the introduction of cable television on gender attitudes in rural India. Using a three-year individual-level panel dataset, we find that the introduction of cable television is associated with improvements in women’s status. We find significant increases in reported autonomy, decreases in the reported acceptability of beating and decreases in reported son preference. We also find increases in female school enrollment and decreases in fertility (primarily via increased birth spacing). The effects are large, equivalent in some cases to about five years of education in the cross section, and move gender attitudes of individuals in rural areas much closer to those in urban areas. We argue that the results are not driven by pre-existing differential trends.
Perhaps the Idiot Box ain’t so dumb afterall? In the past, I’ve readily noted the unappreciated (and even maligned) role of mass media relative to old skool activism as a social driver for the good of Desi’s in the US (Pak Attack and Aishwarya for ex). This, however, is perhaps a far better measure of its affects back in the Desh.
Fascinating. But WHOA at the Rani Mukherjee picture — the combination of the cheesy smile & the belly fat scared me there. I don’t if any woman, urban or rural, would wanna look like that. :/
“I don’t if any woman, urban or rural, would wanna look like that. :/”
I don’t KNOW if any woman, sorry. XD
Really!?
what belly? I think its just the angle…the comment reminds me of that skinny post by anna…hmmm
Interesting research. The idiot box does something to improve the conditions of women? Nice. Now if they would only stop showing all those saas-bhau dramas and how there are so many scheming people in the world…not that I watch..hehe..
i don’t disagree that cable tv might have an impact. but substantial? i don’t think so. the media back in desh still often portrays women as the weaker, not the evil mind you, of the two gender that needs rescuing by the male hero. i’m talking about not just bollywood, but soap operas and shows as well.
but i haven’t read the entire study. maybe i’m missing something.
additionally, do we really want achieve the other extreme the media culture breeds? like the one in the U.S.? girls with eating disorder? dark skin girls with low self esteem, superficiality….
Curly, My thoughts exactly .I am sure the study was not about the effect of cable television.Whenever my in-laws are visitng , we get Zee/Asia Tv added on for their benefit and from what I have observed most of the serials are retrograde in their portrayal of women’s status in the family and in society. All the women seem to look like mobile Gurjari showrooms and pander to every steretype in the book.
On the other hand, Doordarshan for all its ills at least tried to bring some semblance of social change. “Hum Log” the original Indian soap for all its cut rate production values at least had some good messages about women’s education etc
Oops my bad – realized it was about cable television.Whu woulda thunk that the “Sarson da saagas” would result in improvement of women’s status ? Huh !
Does this tie in with the Sabido method? (note: Link is to an abstract of a New Yorker article – you need to purchase the full text.)
“In 1983, Sabido created a telenovela, “Hum Log,†for Indian TV. A 1996 study of an Indian radio soap opera, “Tinka Tinka Sukh,†showed that the serial helped change the attitudes of Lutsaan villagers toward dowries and female education. Telenovelas often air topics that governments would rather avoid.”
Link to actual study here.
From the study
Great post Abhi..and Rani is such an apt choice (I dont know delieberate or not) for the pic. From what I remember she was the “Babli” of Bunty and Babli who has TV as her window to the glitz of rest of the world out there from her small town. Although she chooses rather questionable means to step out that window 🙂
Opps .my bad I meant Vinod!
Also, I think TV helped to educate a lot of women on topics such as contraceptives, proper diet (Glucose mix)for kids at the time of rampant monssoon time child diseases, and their voting rights. Anybody remembers those MalaD ads on doordarshan!
I find it surprising that cable TV would actually help further rural women. But I haven’t had a chance yet to read the paper, so I’ll have to see if I really believe the research.
Anyhow, as said before, with all the saas-bahu dramatics on TV, it seems that they would just reinforce the stereotype/traditional role of women in India. But perhaps seeing women veejays, journalists and the like help other women feel more empowered?
It’s funny how in the US almost the opposite is happening with TV shows like the Bachelor, Flavor of Love and Rock of Love? (that Brett Michael’s show) showing women acting like complete idiots for the attention of a man.
some have suggested that modern information technology is part of the reason that birth rates started dropping pretty fast throughout the developing world in the 90s. it was way ahead of what economic development would have predicted. basically it was just elite emulation of the small nuclear family.
Do you have a reference or link for this? (Thanks). That sounds interesting.
As a number of people have pointed out here, cable TV has for the most part reinforced the traditional stereotypes – what with women sporting Mangalsutras like an Olympic gold medal, the endless wailing because the husband has an affair with some other woman, etc? As Runa pointed out, Doordarshan at least made an attempt to pass a positive message regarding social change. Cable TV is not meant for that anyway. And its a refreshing change over the monotony of getting to watch just DD National and DD Metro in the metro cities and only DD National in the rest of the country.
On the other hand, what has definitely improved manifold is actually news reporting. This was particularly so during the Kargil Conflict when almost every stage of the war was covered live on TV and for the first time the masses actually saw what was going on. Also, it heavily promoted Bollywood and the entertainment media, and whether that was for the good or bad is another discussion. In fact, I would say Bollywood probably has had more effect on rural women than soap operas – the latter being taretted towards an urban population anyway.
Do you have a reference or link for this? (Thanks). That sounds interesting.
alas, no. i recall reading it in the late 90s when people were wondering why/how bangladesh’s total fertility rate dropped from a bit more than four children per woman to around three in 10 years. a similar dynamic occurred in many barely developed nations (one reason why the UN population projects have had to be ratcheted down constantly since 1960).
maybe television works better at passing social messages because-
its very entertaining. the women are completely tuned in and identify themselves in alteast one of the charecters.
second, they look at the better life and they must atleast wish something better in their own. i heard somewhere that revolution doesn’t start when ppl are opressed, it starts when people expect better.
third, unlike most other means of communication, say newspapers, hoardings, etc. tv is on in the house for hours…it works like brain washing…listening to the same message again and again and again will finally make it go into ur head instead of just flying over it 🙂
As Marshal McLuhan said, “The medium is the message.”
If the women out in the countryside don’t just get a diet of telenovelas and actually watch the news, then I would say there is indeed some inspiration there. NDTV has Barkha Dutt on every week tackling all sorts of topics, and often with a variety of women of all ages as panel guests. Aside from her, a ton of their reporters are women (at least 50%, I’d say). Granted, folks would probably skew more towards Hindi channels like Star News, but there too, you see a lot of young women journos.
The other trend I find quite retro is the ads for these “air hostess” schools on NDTV. Never mind that that’s a term that hasn’t been used in ages, but it just reinforces the idea that girls should only aim so high (flight attendant), and not higher (pilot). Yet, I know there are women pilots on the commercial carriers….
TimeOut Mumbai had a story a week or so back about Deborah Matzner, an NYU PhD anthropolgy candidate who’s living in Bombay to do a project studying women working in the television industry and those who make documentaries.
One step forward for television, 2 steps backwards for womankind.
Here we go again with analysing and criticizing women’s bodies, in a post that is supposed to be about their progress and liberation.
Its retrograde compared to your life. Its probably positive relative to rural Indian women’s life.
Sorry but I do not see how perpetuating women’s roles as being limited to dressing up ridiculously, and performing every puja in the book ( karwa chauth, pujas for progeny etc ),unquestioning obedience of in-laws/parents, sacrificing for the “good” of the family Or alternately showing women as gossippy, backstabbing characters is progressive/positive in anyway.
You know nothing of my life so kindly keep that out of it
this makes sense….because people in india dont have skin color issues sarcasm off…
i’m curious how many people posting here have actually seen indian television. it kind of sucks, and in more ways than one.
a very relevant video-journalism by vikas bajaj of nytimes.com and saja.org