Media redressing gender inequality

There is a general misconception, even among media majors and scholars, that ‘gender sensitive communication’ is only women sensitive. The true feminists do not aspire for matriarchal society rather for an egalitarian society. The term ‘gender sensitive communication’ is made up of three key words ‘gender’, ‘sensitive’, ‘communication’ let us first decode the exact connotations of these words. Kate Millet’s(famous feminist scholar) ‘Sexual Politics’ (1970) defines ‘gender’as a part of an on going process by which identities are constituted, often in paradoxical ways and not as affixed property of individual. ‘Sensitivity’ refers to the impact /response/reaction of any stimuli. ‘Communication’ means to communicate or convey message. (It is basic physiological and psychological need of any living being) Thus, ‘gender sensitive communication’ is the type of communication which sensitive to both the male and female identities, not only to women. Media reports have a tremendous impact on the lives of those who are portrayed by the media .These powers must not to be abused and journalists must take responsibility for what and how they report. This includes perpetrators of violence who may reconsider their actions, government officials who have the power to make legislative and policy changes, other service providers who come in contact with women who are victims/survivors of violence. The media needs to keep in mind that it wields power and this power should not be abused or used carelessly. Gender sensitive communication is not accepted easily, thereby many counter views are given to show its illegitimacy. It is so because any change from the existing norm is not easily accepted. The stress of living in the modern world, combined with ‘sex role’ strain, creates a tragic situation for both men and women. Therefore, there is a great need for ‘gender sensitive communication’ not only for women but for male who burdened under the concept of pseudo-masculinity.