Sonia Munjal.rtfi9i 6w4111

A PROJECT REPORT ON “Impact of TV ments on women” SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ISTRATION

Session : 2009-11

SUBMITTED BY: sonia munjal

Maharishi

Dayanand

University, Rohtak

DECLARATION I, sonia munjal MBA 4th Semester of KEDARNATH AGGERWAL INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, DADRI hereby declare that the project entitled “Impact of TV ments on women” as the part of partial fulfillment of requirement for the award of degree of M.B.A. All the information in the project is wholly my own and original and not copied from anywhere else.

{sonia munjal)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A project report is never the sole product of the person whose name appears on the cover. There are many others who put a lot of efforts in it, so it is my duty to express my gratitude towards all of them. First of all, I express my gratefulness to Miss Neetu Munjal his guidance & cooperation in selecting the topic and due to non availability of time he could not afford devote time for further guidance. Last but not the least I express my sincere thanks to my family and my friends whose help me directly or indirectly in this project.

With deep regards

for

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration Acknowledgement Contents List of figures Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 2

Research methodology

Chapter 3

2.1

Significance of the problem

2.2

Review of Literature

2.3

Conceptualization

2.4

Focus of the Study

2.5

Objectives

2.6

Limitations

2.7

Research Methodology

Analysis & Interpretation 3.1

Objective Wise Analysis

3.2

Major Findings

Chapter 5

Suggestions

Chapter 6

Appendix i.Questionnaire ii. Bibliography

INTRODUCTION Advertising is the engine of modern economies, and one of the crucial factors influencing the behaviour and life style of modern societies.Since the Indian woman plays a dominant role in the purchase activities, nowadays, many markets are targeting women and are targeting women and are increasingly portraying them in their ments. Indian woman consumers have become more demanding. With the growing importance of women in the existing scenario, an attempt has been made to understand how women respond to TV ments and what kind of impact these ments have on them. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable because they are new and in experienced consumers and are prime targets of many ments. They are in process of learning their values and roles and developing their selfconcepts. Mass communication has made possible a kind of national pressure that erodes private and individual values and standards. (Kilbourne, 1990) The influence of advertising on adolescents in hardly surprising, researches show that adolescents emulate the behavior of attractive models, especially when the behavior is rewarded. Nowhere else is the heady combination of physical beauty and personal success portrayed as pleadingly and persuasively as in commercial ments (Gardner, 1999). rs often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness is an attempt to sell products (Fox, 1996) but researchers are concerned that this places undue pressure on women and men to focus on their appearances. In today’s media, women are looked upon as a tool that can help to sell a product, women and sex are often a great combination when to get a product to come off the shelves. There are many different companies that stretch far and wide to include women and sex in their ments for sale purposes and many use very interesting ways of including women to sell their products (Lemmon, 2002). Women have been stereotyped in the media more than any other group. A stereotype against women creates a world where no one is ugly, overweight, poor, struggling and disabled. In ments women are often portrayed in similar roles and are grouped together with the assumption that all women are the same or should be the same. Women in ments take on a fake look because they are made to look as close to perfect as possible. Women in ments are masked with make-up and almost always the pictures airbrushed to perfection. Women like a super women image where they are supposed to do it all. All with working with full time job she can still play the role of man and take care of kids, clean, cook, and maintain a heavy relationship with husband. This is not true in all the real world but because it is portrayed so much in the media people feel it is necessary to have high expectations for women (Ryan, 2002). Women are still shown primarily in submissive positions as sex objects. Sexual women are used in ments for women to imply.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ment is a powerful medium designed to sell products, aspirations and communicate concepts of acceptable behavior and gender roles. The question of women’s portrayal on T.V has been a matter of debate for considerable time now. The present study, “perception of adolescents regarding the portrayal of women in commercial ments on T.V” was conducted with the objectives, to ascertain the responses of the adolescents regarding the image of women in ments on T.V and study the impact of commercial ments on adolescents. The study was conducted on a sample of 90 adolescents, which consisted of 45 girls and 45 boys. An interview schedule was used to elicit the required information. The results of the study revealed that ments left an impact on both the genders. The presence of female model in the ment influenced their liking for a particular product. Fashion statement of girls was also influenced by ments. Boys felt that whenever a beautiful model is screened in an ment, it stays on their mind for long period of time. Majority of them felt that ment depicts women in stereotype roles and that the ments are not representing the personality of Indian women. The respondents wanted to see women in different kind of roles in the future ments. They wanted ments to be more educative, informative, product oriented, family oriented and with a bit of humor. Majority of girls wanted women to be shown as confident, independent and empowered individuals, whereas, boys wanted women to be projected in fashionable and glamorous roles. Rachoza (2003) conducted a study “The stereotypical image of women in ments and found that women are still seen as objects and women are expected to look and act like those portrayed in ads. The women in ments represent what society, especially the men of society, holds as the ideal image for a woman. The images of woman today are highly sexualized to appeal to those looking. Women in the twenty first century are under the power of gaze, the male gaze. In this context, it becomes important to study the opinion of adolescents about the portrayal of women in commercial ments on T.V. It would be interesting to know the likes and dislikes of adolescents about portrayal of women in ments and to see whether they are different from rest of the population. It would be helpful in ascertaining the type of roles and images of women; the adolescents want to see in future ments.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE Much of literature available focus on the issue of women’s portrayal in ments, femine buying behaviour, and other issues. But little literature is available on the impact of ments on women. Though authors have highlighted the impact of ments on women on their works, however they are not specially based on any particular product. According to Bansal and Dhaka(2006), research studies have shown that women and girls are more self conscious about their personal appearance than men. This make them the target f rs. Studies have shown that women are projected as glamorous and enticing in most of the ments. Research has shown that women are more amenable to persuasion than men and the persuasive content used in advertising messages has a greater effect on women than men. Women consumers represent a big business for beauty products. In his work, Sreedhar(2006) expresses that as women’s financial independence grew, marketers modified their approach. In the case of personal care and products, they began to communicate the ways in which the use of their product would help women appear confident and poised. The author further says that if marketers recognize the growing importance of women consumers and cater to their likes and dislikes, it will result in a win-win situation for both. It is believed that the prospective consumer attention and memory are greater in the beginning and fade away towards the end. A resent research by Brunel and Nelson of Boston University of Wisconsin(2004) attempts to empirically understand these message order effects. They have also investigate the possibility of gender differences in advertising persuasion. It has been observed that females have the tendancy to elaborate the contents of the message while males process the information based on cues. In addition, another study conducted to find the levels of awareness and the brand preferences for fairness creams. The study revealed that the purchase decisions are highly influenced by the quality of fairness and the price factor also.

FOCUS OF THE PROBLEM The main focus of the study was taken up with the objectivei)To study the impact of commercial ments on adolescents with special references to the images and role portrayal of women, ii)Opinion of adolescents regarding stereotype image of women in ments, iii)characteristics of a good ment, and iv)changes needed for the future portrayal of women in ments. v)Impact of Fair&Lovely product on women.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Through this study an attempts was made to analyze the impact of TV ments on women. This study focuses on what kind of ments women like and what kind of impact ments generate on them. The objective set for the study are: 1To understand the general behaviour of women towards purchasing products and watching television. 2To find out the impact of ments on women in general and in particular with respect to fairness cream products. 3To analyze the impact of fair&lovely ments on women.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The present study is aimed at understanding the impact of TV ment on women with respect to Fair&Lovely products. As the study is related to women, a sample of 220 women respondants was selected. The sample was selected through stratified random sampling method. Women of different age groups ranging from 18-55 years were chosen randomly, drawn from different sections like housewives, students and working women. The data was collected from the women through a structured questionnaire consisting of various questions pertaining to the impact of ments and specially with respect to Fair&Lovely adds. After collecting data, the data was tablated and analysis was done usingcertain statistical techniques like percentage analysis, Chi-square test and Anova test. The analysis was carried out using SPSS Package12.0 The result was presented on the basis of the above stated method. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of media marketing on adolescent girls. The following questions were explored:

1. Are adolescent girls influenced by the media? 2. What influences do celebrities have on adolescent girls?

Method of Data Collection The survey instrument used in this study determined the impact of media marketing on adolescent girls from the ages of 13-19. How the media and the different influences that celebrities have on influence adolescent girls were the two research questions.

UNIVERSE AND SURVEY POPULATION Demographics Age:________ School:_____________________________________________________ Survey Questions

1 [strongly disagree] 2 [disagree] 3 [agree] 4 [strongly agree] 1 2 3 4

1. I have felt pressure to lose weight.

1 2 3 4 2. I have read fashion magazines (for example: Vogue, People, In Style, California Style, Teen Vogue) in the past 12 months. 1 2 3 4

3. I shop and buy things that are trendy.

1 2 3 4

4. I watch media-driven television programs [Reality T.V. MTV, VH1, etc.].

1 2 3 4

5. Celebrity gossip is a topic of conversation in my life.

1 2 3 4 8. I have bought a perfume, clothing line, or product that a celebrity has endorsed or designed [for example: Candy by Paris Hilton, clothing line by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, With Love perfume by Hilary Duff] 1 2 3 4

3. I buy only Fair&Lovely product.

RECCOMADATION AND SUGGESSIONS OF STUDY ments play an important role in influencing and shaping values and attitudes, particularly of adolescents; hence rs should ensure that it depicts a positive portrayal of women in ments. The ments which exploit womanhood and portray vulgarity should not be screened on T.V., as it reinforce a negative stereotypes on the viewers especially on adolescents who are more vulnerable to ments and going to be our future generation. There is need to recognize the changing roles of women. ments should show women working in a wide variety of career settings. They should be projected in diverse roles such as educated, decision maker, independent, confident and self-reliant. ments should depict average Indian women instead of focusing only the upper strata of the society. The viewers should be able to identify with product being d and with the model shown in the ments. The content of the ments should be relevant to the product. There should be more emphasizes on the product rather than on the female models and their figures. Women in the ments should not be used for attention seeking purpose. It is unnecessary to show women in ments related to male products such as men’s underwear and vests. There is need for special committee to scrutinize all ments carefully to ensure that rs do not portray women in derogatory and stereotype ways.

It is necessary that society should be motivated and sensitized to the issues of portrayal of women in commercial ments on T.V., so that they can take necessary steps for healthy projection of women in the media.

ANALYSIS The subjects sampled for this study were students enrolled at the Academy of the Canyons located in Santa Clarita, California. They completed the survey on March 19 and 21, 2008. Twenty-five copies of the survey instrument were distributed; twenty-five were returned, and twenty-five were used in this study. The data collected from the twenty-five subjects (Table 1) are discussed in subsequent sections, commencing with the reporting of the demographic findings. Participants were asked to list age to determine at what stage of adolescence they were. The survey indicated the results as follows: Age 19- 1, Age 18- 5, Age 17- 13, Age 16- 6. Table 1. Summary of Responses to Survey Questions Scale number Strongl Disagre Agre Strongl No y e e y Agree Respons Disagre e e 1

1

2

11

11

0

25

14.5200

7.815

2

1

2

8

15

0

25

19.2308

7.815

3

1

6

10

8

0

25

7.1600

7.815

4

2

5

5

13

0

25

10.6800

7.815

5

8

9

7

1

0

25

6.200

7.815

6

1

4

15

8

0

25

3.9600

7.815

7

1

4

15

8

0

25

3.9600

7.815

8

3

5

12

8

0

25

2.3600

7.815

Research Question One Are adolescent girls influenced by the media? Questions 1,2, 3, and 4 of the survey located in Appendix A addressed this research question. The results of the analysis revealed that the calculated value for questions 1, 2 and 4 were at the .05 significance level and suggested that the media puts pressure on adolescent girls to lose weight through popular fashion magazines. Question 3 indicated that the sample did not shop for trendy clothes that paralleled with fashion magazines. The findings from question one align with Mundell (p. 1) whose results show from a study on fifth graders, ten-year-old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show "Friends." Tiggemann & Pickering (p. 1) divulge a study done in 1996 that found that the amount of time an adolescent watches soaps, movies and music videos is associated with their degree of body dissatisfaction and desire to be thin. The National Institute on Media and the Family (p. 1) discloses that the popular media has increasingly held up a thinner and thinner body (and now ever more physically fit) image as the ideal for women. The findings from question two align with the findings of Kilbourne (p. 132) who said that the images in magazines play into the American belief of transformation and ever-new possibilities. Marketing strategies and advertising then become strategic in the battle of consumers. Kilbourne (p. 133) collected the results of studies at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts that found that about seventy percent of college women say they feel worse about their own looks after reading women’s magazines. Kilbourne (p. 138) revealed that not only are girls influenced by images of other girls, but they are especially attuned to images of women, because they learn from these images what is expected of them, what they are to become. The finding from questions three conflicts with research by Liebau (p. 4) that revealed that stores such as Victoria’s Secret and restaurants like Hooters capitalized on an implicit message that being sexy at all times is a female imperative. In contrast to this finding, Liebau (p. 4) reported that over the last forty years the United Sates has indeed experienced an incremental but aggressive sexualizing of its culture—until today there exists a status quo in which almost everything seems focused on what’s going on below the waist. The finding from question four aligns with the findings of Sutton, Brown, Wilson, & Klein (p. 25) that more than half of the high school boys and girls in a national survey in 1997 said they had learned about birth control, contraception, or preventing pregnancy from television. In the studies of Brown (p. 1), in the United States, young people spend six to seven hours each day on average with some form of media. Kilbourne’s data (p. 35) revealed that over $40 billion a year in ad revenue is generated for television and radio and over $30 billion for magazines and newspapers.

Research Question Two What influences do celebrities have on adolescent girls? Questions 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the survey located in Appendix A addressed this research question. The results of the analysis revealed that the calculated values for all were not at the .05 significance level, which suggest that the participants feel that celebrities do not influence their lives. The results also suggested that some adolescent girls have extreme opinions about celebrities. Some embrace celebrities as role models and others despise them, having repulsive opinions about their lifestyles. Regardless of the extreme position, media marketing of celebrities has influenced both sides. Most people are not aware of how much celebrities influence decisions made about the simplest things—clothes, perfumes, candy, or choice of stores. Advertising influences the population beyond its knowledge. Companies spend billions of dollars every year studying the population and consumer interests. The general population desires to be accepted by its peers. The media provides an outlet for this through advertising, using celebrities to give credibility to certain products. The findings from question five conflict with research by Smith (p. 1), who stated that fashion sensation Tom Ford asked gossip columnist Liz Smith, “What’s wrong with sluts? If sluttiness is what [defines who] you are, what’s wrong with that? Why do we think being a slut’s bad? Sluttiness is just a lot of freedom.” Rosenbloom (p. 1) confirmed celebrities’ influence with research that reflected that even young girls have come to embrace the concept—to the point that the epithet has become a widely accepted, affectionate term of familiarity among girlfriends. The findings from question six differ from research by Liebau (p. 7), who stated that hit song “My Humps” by Fergie, which extols the sexual magnetism of her breast and buttocks, can be heard in almost every high school gym during warm ups and can be found on millions of teenagers iPods. According to studies by Liebau (p. 8), the emphasis on sexiness, revealing fashions, and the overvaluing of physical appeal creates pressure to measure up to bone-slim models or celebrities and leads to unrealistic expectations among young women about how their own bodies should actually look. The findings from question seven suggest that they are not curious about celebrities’ personal lives. These findings differ from research conducted by Liebau (p. 8), who stated that today’s culture celebrates celebrities such as Paris Hilton and highlights their “highprofile party lives” along with their scandalous lifestyles in general. Liebau’s (p. 6) research revealed gossip sheets that report many of the celebrities idolized by adolescent girls are wearing clothes and engaging in behavior so vulgar that it once would have destroyed their careers. The findings from question eight suggest that they do not buy products, clothing lines, or perfumes that are endorsed or designed by celebrities. In contrast, studies by Liebau (p. 8) showed that emphasis on sexiness, revealing fashions, and the overvaluing of physical appeal creates pressure to measure up to bone-slim models or celebrities and leads to unrealistic expectations among young women about how their own bodies should actually look.

Findings The research questions were analyzed using STATPAK. The One–Dimensional Chi-square statistical test was employed because it “analyzes the discrepancy, if any, between frequencies observed in the sample of subjects measured and frequencies expected according to the stated hypothesis” (Joseph & Joseph, 1986, p. 182). Nominal data were assumed, which can be identified by “a number, a name, a symbol of some type, a letter, or any device that indicates the various categories” (Joseph & Joseph, 1986, p. 54). The tables located in the appendix of Research Methods in Human Development were utilized to compare the calculated values derived from the statistical analysis of the research questions with their respective tabled values. A .05 level of significance was used to test the results of the study. Analysis of the data follows. Discussion Within the stated purpose and findings of this study, the following conclusions appear warranted: 1. Adolescent girls are influenced by the media in more ways than they may be aware. 2. Celebrities influence adolescent girls in opposite ways, either inviting a repulsive reaction or creating a star status view. The findings of the study yielded some significant results. The majority of the responses indicated that the participants either strongly agreed, or strongly disagreed, that media marketing, whether through tangible means (magazines or television programs) or through celebrity influence, had an effect on their lives. The surveyed adolescent girls had strong opinions that either sided with the hypothesis that media marketing did influence them or the opposite. Media marketing has infiltrated every part of an adolescent girl’s life, whether it be the way she dresses, how she styles her hair that morning, how she speaks to her friends, the way she respects her parents, expectations within a boyfriend relationship, or the music she listens to. Media marketing plays an active role in influencing what is “fashionably cool” and what is “in” and “out” of style. No matter what the opinion of adolescent girls is, the media impacts their lives in a multitude of ways. Celebrities are just one outlet for the media to push their agenda to the public. The system of advertising expertly entices adolescent girls by using celebrities to push fashion products or even political opinion. Each person emulates something. Everybody influences someone else, either negatively or positively. The media’s main concern is making money. Unfortunately, media marketing’s main concern is not influencing its consumers for the greater good of society but rather selling products that the population will like and want to emulate or buy. Whether adolescent girls choose to accept the fact that media marketing influences them, it will remain a constant factor in their lifestyle and how they interact with society.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY Several limitations to this study existed. The sample population consisted of students specifically the Santa Clarita Valley school system and the teenagers from the Grace Community Church high school department during the spring semester of 2008. Although the findings for this study pertain mainly to adolescent girls residing in Los Angeles County, a general trend may be observed and conclusions drawn.

1Time constrain to complete the project was also another limitation faced during the research. 2There were some qualitative questions that needed explaining hence some respondents needed assistance thus slowing down the process of data collection. 3Limited access to data available in archives.

SAMPLE DESIGN PERCEPTION OF ADOLESCENTS REGARDING PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN 123 model is shown in the ments, whereas 17.7% girls stated that they tried to imitate the character shown in the ment and (28.8%) girls said that it affected their self esteem i.e. various ments of fairness cream and beauty soaps enhance an inferiority complex in them. Bahuguna (1997) also reported that in advertising women are depicted as groomed, ive recipients of consumerism, creates images, which not only distort reality but also enforce outdated ideals of womanhood. These images put a great stress on today’s urban woman to live up to a fictional idea impossible to realize. S. Responses Respondents No. Girls (n=45) Boys (n=45) N%N% 1. Consumption pattern 26 57.5 23 51.1 2. Affect on body image 13 28.8 - 3. Dressing Style 9 20 - 4. Desire to be like models 27 60 - 5. Emulate 8 17.7 - 6. Awareness 4 8.8 7 15.5 7. Model stay on mind - - 16 35.5 8. Influence liking 9 20 10 22.2 * Multiple responses Impact Left by the Presence of Film Personality Majority of girls (68.8%) and (71.7%) boys agreed that the presence of film personality in the ments do leave an impact on them. It is clear from Table 2 that majority of both girls (55.5%) and boys (51.1%) felt that presence of film personality in the ment influenced their consumption pattern. Large number of girls (33.3%) stated that it affected their fashion. Both girls (15.5%) and boys (37.7%) felt that the presence of their favorite film actress in the ment influenced their liking for a particular product, 33.3% girls 22.2% boys said that whenever their favorite actor appeared in ments, they watched the ment more carefully. The Figure 2 depicts that majority of girls (64.4%) and boys (53.3%) agreed that ments portray women in stereotype roles as they felt that woman is projected mostly as housewives or in glamorous roles. ments depict women as a product but never Table 2: Kind of impact left by film personalities S. Responses Respondents No. Girls (n=45) Boys (n=45) N%N% 1. Consumption pattern 25 55.5 23 51.1 2. Desire to be like them 14 31.1 - 3. Influence liking 7 15.5 17 37.7

4. Affect fashion 15 33.3 - 5. Watch it carefully 15 33.3 10 22.2 * Multiple responses. The studies conducted by Kilbourne (1990) and (Vishav, 2003) also revealed that women are shown in stereotype image exclusively as housewives or sex objects. SAMPLE DESIGN SAMPLE UNIT

The sample population was a selection of individuals of varied age groups (above the age of 18). The area covered was the Delhi & NCR region. SAMPLE SIZE

The sample size selected was 100 respondents. This was due to the time and resource constraint faced during the project. SAMPLE SELECTION

Respondents were selected on random basis but the respondents had to satisfy the following criteria: •

Above the age of 18 •

Belong to HSM[Hindi speaking masses]

DATA COLLECTION TOOLS PRIMARY DATA •

Primary data was collected through questionnaire method. SECONDARY DATA •

Secondary Data was collected from websites, database of Star News and TAM reports.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1exchange4media.com 2tamindia.com 3agencyfaqs.com 4emeraldinsight.com 5hindustannews.com 6domain-b.com

REFERENCES Bahuguna, N. 1997. “Women as Stereotype.” Vidura, 34(2): 10-13. Kilbourne, J. 1990. “Beauty and the Beast of Advertising.”

http//www. Beauty and the Beast of Advertising.htm Laughin, M and A. Gaulet. 1999. “Stereotype Portrayal of Women in the Media.” http//www. womenmedia watch.org.html. Malhotra, S. and N. Rogers 2002. Changing Female 126 ARUNA, NIDHI KOTWAL AND SHRADHA SAHNI Images Revolution”. Singhal and Rogers From Bullock Carts to Cyber Marts. New Delhi: Sage Publications. Rachoza, J 2003. “The Stereotypical Image of Women in ments.” http//www.stereotypical.org. media.html Sawhney, H.K and A. Capila. 1989. “Images of Girls on T.V: Perceptions of Viewers of New Delhi. Unpublished thesis, Delhi: Lady Irwin College. Vishav 2003. Impact of Portrayal of Women in T.V Serials and ments. A Project Report by Department of Sociology, Jammu, University of Jammu

COLLECTION OF DATA The study was conducted on a sample of 90 adolescents, which consisted of 45 girls and 45 boys. The two colleges (one Girls College and one Boys College) were selected purposively and 45

students were drawn randomly from each college. An interview schedule was used to elicit the required information. The data were collected in the month of October and November 2005. The data were collected to obtain information regarding the opinions of the respondents about the kind of impact the ments leave on them, opinion of stereotype image of women in ments, characteristics of a good ment and changes needed for future portrayal of women in ments. The Figure 1 depicts that majority of girls (75.5%) and boys (62.2%) felt that ment left an impact on them The respondents who felt that ment do not have an impact on them stated that they are mature enough to distinguish between right and wrong, and they are not easily fooled by these ments. Fig. 1. Impact of ments on respondents 75.5 24.4 62.2 37.7 0 20 40 60 80 Leave an Impact Do Not Leave an Impact Girls Boys It is clear from above Table 1 that majority of girls (57.7%) and boys (51.1%) felt that ment affected their consumption pattern, 60% girls also felt that ment persuaded them to be like beautiful models, where as 35.5% boys said that whenever they see beautiful models in the ment it stayed on their mind for long periods. Dressing style of the model in the ment also left an impact on 20% girls, as it affected their fashion statement. Both girls (20%) and boys (22.2%) felt that ment influenced their liking for a particular product if an attractive 124 ARUNA, NIDHI KOTWAL AND SHRADHA SAHNI and Rogers (2000) studied the television images of women and found that they are more openly sexual. This image did not match the reality of women’s bodies in India.

It is evident from the Table 3 that majority of both girls (57.7%) and boys (51.1%) felt that an ment should be educative and informative. A number of girls (48.8%) and boys (42.2%) felt that ment should be family oriented. An equal percent of both girls (33.3%) and boys (33.3%) felt that an ment should have a comic content in it which makes an ment more interesting to watch. women should not be vulgar. The other changes suggested by the respondents were that ments should be more comic and the content of the ments should be strong. It is clear from the Table 5 that majority of girls (73.3%) wanted women to be shown in independent and empowered roles in future. A large number of girls (60%) felt that women should be projected as affectionate and loving. In contrast majority of boys (64.4%) felt that women should be projected in fashionable and glamorous roles, while only (44.6%). Wanted to see women in independent roles. Very few girls (13.3%) and boys (6.6%) wanted to see women in traditional and conservative roles. Table 4: Changes needed in ment S. Responses Respondents No. Girls (n=45) Boys (n=45) N%N% 1. Product oriented 28 62.2 26 57.7 2. No vulgarity 15 33.3 9 20 3. Less emphasis on the 15 33.3 3 6.6 model 4. More educative 14 31.1 14 31.1 5. Different roles of 12 26.6 2 4.4 women 6. Comic 4 8.8 10 22.2 7. Content strong 8 17.7 6 13.3 * Multiple responses Table 5: Depiction of women in future ments S. Responses Respondents No. Girls (n=45) Boys (n=45) N%N% 1. Fashionable and 18 40 29 64.4

Glamorous 2. Simple 12 26.6 7 15.5 3. Independent\ 33 73.3 20 44.4 Empowered 4. Affectionate and 27 60 17 37.7 Loving 5. Traditional and 6 13.3 3 6.6 Conservative 6. Feminine 5 11.1 9 20 * Multiple responses These findings are contradictory to the study done by (Capila and Sawhney, 1989). Which revealed that majority of the respondents wanted girls to be shown as simple, docile, domesticated within the family nucleus. The difference in the findings may be due to the age difference, because adolescence is the age when they identity themselves with the present T.V. characters and fashionable and glamorous images attract them. There was a sex difference in the opinions of boys and girls majority of boys wanted to see women as fashionable and glamorous, whereas majority of girls wanted women to be projected as independent. CONCLUSION ment is a powerful medium designed to sell products, aspirations and communicate concepts of acceptable behavior and gender roles. The repetition of Television commercials day after day, though boring to the adults leaves Table 3: Quality of a good ment S. Responses Respondents No. Girls (n=45) Boys (n=45) N%N% 1. Family oriented 22 48.8 19 42.2 2. Comic 15 33.3 15 33.3 3. Educative and 26 57.7 23 51.1 Informative 4. Emphasis on the 7 15.5 5 11.1 product * Multiple responses. Table 4 reveals that majority of respondents felt that a change is needed in ments especially in the portrayal of women. Majority

of girls (62.2%) and boys (57.7%) felt that ment should be more product oriented rather than emphasis given on the female model. An equal percent of girls (31.1%) and boys (31.1%) suggested that ments should be more educative and informative. Some girls (26.6%) and (4.4%) boys suggested that women should be presented in different roles and in different career settings, 33.3% girls and 20% boys stated that ments portraying

PERCEPTION OF ADOLESCENTS REGARDING PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN 125 an indelible mark on impressionable young mind. All ments by and large (mainly on T.V) depicts sports, work situations as man’s existence and as a woman’s world hardly is a woman shown as an equal partner who is employed and a person of her own will. The question of women’s portrayal on T.V has been a matter of debate for considerable time now, hence the present study entitled “perception of adolescents regarding the portrayal of women in commercial ments on T.V” was conducted with the objectives, to ascertain the

responses of the adolescents regarding the image of women in ments on T.V and study the impact of commercial ments on adolescents with special reference to the images and role portrayal of women. The results of the study revealed that ments left an impact on both the genders. It affected the consumption pattern of both the respondents. The presence of female model in the ment also influenced the liking of a particular product. Fashion statement of girls was also influenced by ments whereas boys felt that whenever a beautiful model is screened in an ment, it stays on their mind for long period of time. Presence of film personality influenced the liking of both boys and girls and the respondents paid more attention to that particular ment. Regarding the views of the respondents about stereotype image of women in ments, majority of both girls and boys felt that ment depicts women in stereotype roles and that the ments are not representing the personality of Indian women. After having an informal discussion with the respondents, it was found that the respondents wanted to see women in different kind of roles in the future ments. They were of the opinion that ments should be more educative, informative and product oriented, it should be family oriented and should contain a bit of humor in it. Respondents suggested that women should be presented in different roles; she should not be projected only as product but also as product maker. In ment portrayal of women should not be vulgar and the product should be given more emphasis than the female model. Majority of girls wanted women to be shown as confident, independent and empowered individuals in future ment, whereas, boys felt that women should be projected in fashionable and glamorous roles.