Mainstreaming Gender, Endangered, Ungendered? Analysis of Media Reports of 2012 Case of Rape in India

• In Event: 474 - Section on Race, Gender and Class Paper Session. Representations of Race, Class, and Gender in Popular Culture and Media

Abstract

Over the past few years, media has become a major player in the coverage of cases of violence against women. While this has helped in bringing forward issues of violence against women prominently in the public eye, the media portrayal of women as victims or victims to be blamed have been repeatedly challenged by feminists. Typically cases of violence pertaining to celebrities and athletes receive more attention with some coverage of other instances. The stereotypical depictions of women are not unique to the US. Cases from countries like India also entail biased coverage within the country and internationally. In this paper we focus on the media coverage of the 2012 case of gang rape and eventual death of Jyoti Singh Pandey in India’s capital city of Delhi. We examine the content of the coverage by the media within India and internationally to show how women’s rights have become passive messages negating the broader politics of the contemporary women’s movement. Our analysis of 748 media reports/articles identifies three main frames in the portrayal of women: mainstreaming gender, endangered woman, and the ungendered woman. At a theoretical level, we find that the media combines the very active woman as agent discourse with the passive and need for the protection of the woman frame. Our analysis contributes to discussions about the appropriation of women’s agency by the media and reinforces the conservative discourse of the state and movements such as right wing movements.

Authors

• Soma Chaudhuri, Michigan State University

• Preethi Krishnan, Purdue University