A qualitative investigation to understand the challenges and representation of women in the media industry of Bangladesh

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.