Radio As A Tool For Women Empowerment In Villages: A Study On Perception Of Radio In Adi Tribe Of Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Mass media can play a key role in bringing out desirable changes in women’s life by empowering them through creating awareness about their rights and help raise their status even in traditionally-rooted tribal society. Unlike in other conservative societies, women in tribal society in Arunachal Pradesh, though patriarchal in nature, enjoy a sense of freedom of speech and expression. However, they are deprived of various rights such as the rights to claim inheritance of their parental property as their customary law does not provide for it. In such a situation the mass media in general and radio in particular have been creating awareness about women issues and  rights through women-specific programmes thereby promoting women empowerment in the society. While the level of importance given to women issues has been directly or indirectly decided by the kind of mass media, the All India Radio Itanagar and All India Radio Pasighat have been playing a key role in women empowerment in tribal areas of Arunachal Pradesh since their inceptions. Along with changes in media exposure and usage patterns, the status of tribal women in rural areas of Arunachal Pradesh has been undergoing transformations enabling them to contribute to the overall development of the society. Based on a recent study, this paper explores the role of radio broadcasting particularly the All India Radio Itanagar and All India Radio Pasighat in promoting women empowerment  in tribal society particularly the Adi women of East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.