If television dramas focus on strengthening women and empowering them, this can have a positive impact on society
LAHORE: In the past, we have seen that stories of some Pakistani drama showed women as feeble and weak. There were dramas that showed that women are supposed to bear pain and violence.
However, with the passage of time, the same dramas have turned their focus towards stories that talk about empowering women. As the media is often responsible for shaping our opinions, dramas portraying women as being weak and oppressed can have an adverse influence on the way people think about and treat women in our society.
However, if dramas focus on strengthening women and empowering them, this can have a positive impact on society. Women could be inspired to stand up and speak up for themselves, for their own rights and protection.
In this modern age, where women and men are considered like two wheels of the same cart, Pakistani writers are working towards strengthening the characters and roles of women as individuals.
They are finally aiming to depict women as strong and independent. In the past, a woman trying to seek an education and a successful career was believed to lack moral values. Times have changed for the better and this is no longer the case, at least in certain sections of society.
There are several strong female characters in our dramas and movies that some girls would see as role models. I hope the drama industry mobilises itself further and works to develop a strong, positive image of the Pakistani woman.
Our programming should demonstrate the will for women to fight for their rights and seek justice. The country’s feminist writers must also join the cause as their voices have the potential of reverberating the loudest.
Shafaq Khalid Rana
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2015.
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