Gender and Consumption: Understanding Gender Stereotypes on Digital Media

Gender-based stereotype is detrimental to any society. Common notions about any individual or a group based on a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, race or ethnicity, ethnic background, life stage, language, socio-economic status, etc. in media acts as a strong testament to the existence of such stereotypes in any society. Gender-based stereotype often leads to gender-based discrimination, so its identification and confirmation of existence becomes crucial. Women in India had always been at the receiving end of this gender-based stereotype from time immemorial and the biggest evidence to this is their representation in Indian traditional media. With the conscious effort of the Indian government and the digital boom that India has experienced in the last five years, a huge chunk of its population has got an opportunity to experience digital existence. With the massive growth in the digital ecosystem, it becomes imperative to understand whether gender-based stereotyping has propagated into the digital media as well. Thus, this Thesis aims to find out whether Indian nationals experience or had experienced gender-based stereotyping on various digital platforms so that everyone of us become sensitive to this issue and consciously act to bring positive changes into the society.