Yeasmin Noshin, Heme Morsheda Akter, Mumu Maherun Nahar, Shovo Taufiq-E-Ahmed, Aktar Rina, Nizam Hamalna, Hossain Md Tanvir, Shohel Tunvir Ahamed
Sociology Discipline, Social Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, 9208, Bangladesh.
Development Studies Discipline, Social Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, 9208, Bangladesh.
Heliyon. 2024 Apr 20;10(9):e30083. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30083. eCollection 2024 May 15.
This study explores the representation of women in the media in Bangladesh and the social perception regarding their media engagement. Both Dhaka and Khulna cities were purposively selected as the study area for fulfilling the research objective. A qualitative research method has been used to conduct the study and primary data were collected by using an in-depth interviews (IDIs) and two focus group discussions (FGDs). Using a convenient sampling technique, a total of fifteen informants, including IDIs with five (5) informants who were media professionals, two FGDs of ten (10) informants (five in each group), were communicated for data collection. The findings revealed that women are represented as a commodity for marketing the product, and their charm or glamour became the main requirement for recruitment. The informants perceived that the lack of professionalism in the media industry ignores women's intellectual value. Moreover, female models are mostly judged by their physical beauty, not by their merit. The findings also revealed the presence of sexual harassment in the media industry. From the consumers perspective, the study revealed that elderly people have a negative perception of women's engagement in the media; however, the younger people adjusted their thoughts to new media portrayal of females as sexual objects but lack respect for the profession. The study significantly recommends measures such as eliminating sexually objectifying roles for female artists, introducing pay protection and social support campaigns to ensure a non-discriminatory media industry and consumer culture.
本研究探讨了孟加拉国媒体中女性的形象以及社会对她们参与媒体活动的看法。为实现研究目标，特意选择达卡和库尔纳这两个城市作为研究区域。本研究采用定性研究方法，通过深入访谈（IDI）和两次焦点小组讨论（FGD）收集原始数据。采用便利抽样技术，共与15名受访者进行交流以收集数据，其中包括对5名媒体专业人士进行深入访谈，以及两次焦点小组讨论，每次有10名受访者（每组5名）。研究结果显示，女性被塑造为推销产品的商品，她们的魅力或性感成为招聘的主要要求。受访者认为，媒体行业缺乏专业性忽视了女性的智力价值。此外，对女性模特的评判大多基于其外貌，而非能力。研究结果还揭示了媒体行业存在性骚扰现象。从消费者的角度来看，研究表明老年人对女性参与媒体活动持负面看法；然而，年轻人虽然适应了新媒体将女性描绘成性对象的现象，但对该职业缺乏尊重。该研究强烈建议采取一些措施，比如消除女性艺术家被物化的角色，引入薪酬保护和社会支持活动，以确保媒体行业和消费文化不存在歧视。
