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MUMBAI:
Cable television promotes values of gender equality among
women in rural India and is more likely to reduce domestic
violence in these households.
Star
Plus' top serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
is likely to be among the type of content influencing these
changing perceptions.
These
are some of the findings of National Bureau of Economic Research
(NBER) working paper based on surveys conducted in 2,700 households
in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003.
The
findings suggest that women who were exposed to cable television
over a six to seven month period in India were less likely
to report a preference for sons or complacency with domestic
violence, and more likely to report autonomy in household
decision-making. In addition, more girls enrolled in school
and fertility rates dropped.
It
also states that television alters behaviour by exposing individuals
to a new set of worldviews and lifestyles. Popular television
shows like Kyunki... which is a family-drama set in
Mumbai, exposed rural women to life in an urban setting where
women have more equality.
Authors
of the report say that growth of cable access could help combat
female infanticide, son preference, and malnutrition - common
problems among rural women. They point out that changes in
reported attitudes may not directly translate to changes in
behaviour, however, saying, "We may be concerned that
exposure to television only changes what the respondent thinks
the interviewer wants to hear."
Still,
the authors say that a change in perceived "correct"
behaviours and attitudes reflects progress. Only 30.4 per
cent of rural Indian women are literate - the lowest rate
in India - according to a United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization report. But access to cable television could
help to fill educational gaps by up to five years, the NBER
authors say.
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