ANALYSIS OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE PAKISTANI DRAMA HUM TUM: A QUALITATIVE STUDY BASED ON SANDRA BEM'S GENDER SCHEMA THEORY

Abstract

Media content has been used for long to portray and propagate the idea of gender discrimination based on prevailing social and cultural norms. Television dramas in Pakistan have a great impact on the views of the people about gender roles, family relations and social expectations. Traditional dramas in Pakistan have often cast the women as weak, helpless, housebound, and under the control of men, but recent dramas have started to defy these stereotypes. Hum Tum is one such change in the narrative of the play, which has been written by Saima Akram Chaudhary, which shows the reversal of roles in the management of household affairs, education and dreams, etc. In the present study the issue of gender role stereotype is explored in the theoretical context of Sandra Bem's Gender Schema Theory, with a focus on the role Hum Tum plays in breaking them. This study uses a qualitative research design and thematic analysis of selected episodes and dialogues to explore the meanings of the representation of masculinity, femininity, household labour, women empowerment and family dynamics. The results show that the drama reinforces the traditional gender roles, in which women are viewed as ambitious, educated, career oriented and men are viewed as emotional, supportive and actively involved in household chores. These images challenge the male centric notions that are entrenched in the Pakistani society and foster more gender balanced conceptions of genders. Meanwhile, the analysis shows that some aspects of the culture are still present in the narrative, indicating that some traditional gender norms are still challenged and negotiated in the media texts, and that the media were not meant to abandon them entirely. The study also adds to the scholarship on media and gender by emphasising the important role of Pakistani TV serials in promoting public discourse on gender equality and social transformation. It is also a modern extension of Gender Schema Theory to South Asian TV narratives and has implications for media practitioners, teachers, and policy-makers who are interested in creating gender-representative media stories.