Indian T.V. strengthening stereotypical hierarchies

Soap operas of Indian TV have been playing a major role in promoting stereotypical patriarchal ideas in our society. Whether it is subjugation of women, or idea of women as ‘perfect’ housewives or even presenting women as soft targets for crime of various nature; TV has played its role successfully in all this.

Serials project the ‘so-called’ stereotypical image of traditional women to its audience that then restrengthens these stereotypes in their minds. Totally, house confined tulsi’s and parvati’s without any individuality and who face all the acts of their family members by being mere voiceless entities. Without individuality, is what is now being the most favored attribute that people wish to inculcate in their daughters and daughter-in-laws. Idealism is being reset at so high altitude and the representation is set so much in past that it ends up confusing the people and in turn forces them to accept these images as a part of their living.

India is a country that believes in holding not only its traditions and rich culture but also holding the ‘almost-patriarchal’ stereotypical norms that are attached to it. In such a situation, if TV upholds such ideas further then it is not fair for the ‘new-age’ Indian women who wish to break beyond the bounds of these patriarchal hierarchies.


Shows that show women as soft targets of crimes at home and outside thus give rebirth to the ideas of patriarchy at all phases in society. Crimes like rape, dowry harassments, and molestations and even show various ways and through various arguments with which women are stripped out of their identity and dignity repeatedly.

What is even more shocking is the fact that these shows more than often use women itself to propagate the stereotypes that are typically not in favor of women.
Soap-operas and tear jerker like “kunki..” and “kahanni...”; and even so called different stories like “kasam se”, “betiyaan”, “saat phere”, “parayadhan” and “doli saja ke”, or any other for that matter have same environment that believes in subjugating and suffocating its women in the confines of the four-walls of the house and even women who hold this to be their life of freedom.
Even when shows project women who are career oriented the story itself after 2-3 turns and twists comes back to the same old ‘saas-bahu’ drama.

Well so is the scope of Indian television for now but all that is left to speculate is its future trends, will those in any way be able to offer any ‘change’ for real?