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The woman as always sentimental

by Nadira Gunatilleke

The Women's Affairs Ministry has implemented a series of special awareness raising seminars for media personnel and the persons in the advertising field to guide them towards building a positive image of Sri Lankan women. Safeguarding this image is another main intention of this program.

Although this is one of the most crucial issues of the hour, unfortunately both participants and organisers of this program series do not take much interest in their task. The Ministry has already conducted about five programs for nearly 500 participants without much effect.

The main issue brought forward by the organisers was that some sections of the print and electronic media destroy the Sri Lankan women's image by revealing names when they become victims of rape and similar harassment. They also said that most of the advertisements in the print and electronic media portray women only as sex objects but nothing more than that. For example, they pointed out how women are being used in tyre advertisements.

According to the participants (both journalists and advertising personnel) they are being forced by their supervisors to practise certain strategies related to women.

Journalists reveal female victims' names to add more credibility to their news stories while advertisers use women in their advertisements to please their clients and sell products successfully. Both parties accepted the fact that engage in a deleterious practice, but blamed their superiors for their behaviour. They demanded that the Women's Affairs Ministry introduce rules and regulations to contain the problem. The Ministry officials agreed.

What is the present image Sri Lankan women have and what should be the ideal image? How are Sri Lankan women are going to gain this positive image? We have to provide direct answers to these questions if we are to achieve something worth while. It is obvious that the present image of Sri Lankan women in the local media is not satisfactory. The opinion of the general public is the same according to some comments make by people.

The traditional Sri Lankan woman was very quiet and homely. She did not work. Her main tasks were providing sexual satisfaction for her husband, bearing children, looking after them and attending to chores which covered cooking, washing, cleaning and just living "under the control" of the culture. She had a supportive environment to carry on her duties and there was no conflict within her image. Since there was no media to mislead society giving wrong impressions about her, Sri Lankan woman lived happily without much harassment. Therefore there was no need to build or safeguard an image.

Today Sri Lankan women play a different role which includes all the old tasks and several new tasks such as working or engaging in other income generating activity, running households and satisfying social needs.

They are the most hard working segment the society but they do not receive recognition for bearing all these burdens. Society has not attached any value to their labour. Society expects them to meet all the targets set for them. They hardly get a supportive environment within their own homes and in society. Culture and traditions have become her great enemies. Under this condition Sri Lankan women do their best to lead a "normal" life while sections of the mass media created a very negative image of her.

Then what should be this positive image? The main problem lies in the way that they are being portrayed in the local mass media. The Sri Lankan woman's image in the local mass media is completely different from her true image. The conflict begins here where a large difference exists between the "media women" and "real women". Usually the women shown in the media successfully face all the targets set ahead of her and win or become victims of unusual conflicts that never ever happen in the real world. At present the local mass media portray Sri Lankan women mainly as sex objects and very tender butterflies that get hurt very easily and always end up crying.

The women shown in the local media only take care about their beauty. They do not have an iota of brains and always get into trouble. They are always interested in fashions and stand at the receiving end of abuse, harassment and torture. All women shown in the local media are very fair, slim and young. Even some of the characters have two or more children but look like unmarried teenagers! The rural women portrayed in the mass media are always poor or extremely rich. They worship culture and traditions. But this is not always true.

Sometimes female characters shown in the media are extremely brave and they do not get hurt even during a shootout! They have a kind of supernatural power that always protects them. They are the perfect females in every way. But in the real world Sri Lankan women have to face a reality which is full of harassment and insecurity.

Incredibly all the female characters shown over the television are somehow involved in an extramarital affair. There are no happy mothers in the media. All the mothers are worrying and crying. But in the real world there are so many happy mothers.

There should be a balance between the women shown in the sections of the media and real women. Not only do advertisements mislead the public but also Sinhala teledramas do the same. Sometimes local society expects Sri Lankan women to behave like the women in the media. But this is not possible since the real women are human beings. Parents expect their daughters to get married soon and settle down with two kids or shine as some of the superstars as shown over the television. Husbands expect their wives to be as slim and attractive as unmarried teenagers ! while daughters expect their mothers to be young and energetic all the time just as shown in advertisements.

According to some experts in the field of mass communication there is a significant difference between "real world characters" and "television world characters". The heavy viewers (who are addicted to television) have reason to believe that there is a sinclarecity between "television crimes and similar incidents" in the real world. At present many local people do not understand the difference between the real world and television world. This has created several serious social problems and directly hit family bonds.

The correct positive image of the Sri Lankan women should be decided on first. Then some practical rules and regulations should be introduced to the media and advertising personnel when using Sri Lankan characters.

This is also the sole demand put to the journalists and the advertising personnel. If the relevant authorities can take prompt action to implement the relevant rules and regulations, there will be no need for seminars and awareness raising campaigns to build or safeguard Sri Lankan women's image.

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