Mass Media is defined as a medium of communication targeting a larger audience with its expanding horizon of career opportunities. The varied arena of the field impacts positively by spreading knowledge, shaping public relations and expressing one’s viewpoints on any particular subject.

The media platforms are as distinct, as they are significant. Beginning with only announcing news vocally, to now tweeting about the incidents 24/7, media has definitely come a long way. To study it is as difficult as understanding it’s significance. The Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) course is one of the most versatile courses that offer journalism, advertising, marketing, public relations, and political sciences, among other fields.

While the course enjoys the interest of youngsters over the years, some colleges are offering this course exclusively for women. Ever wondered the impact that may have on women? For years, we’ve been searching for answers on what empowers women. A BMM course offered exclusively to women could have some role to play in it.   

More than 50 years ago, when citizens of India counted days till their last breath in the fear of standing up to the Britishers, our leaders emerged with the press to provoke outrage throughout the masses. This is one of the many precise examples of how significant empowering the masses can be, in impacting every soul and mind. It requires critical thinking and a sense of understanding that proves its way ahead of time.

For years, the issue of gender bias has been a matter of contention in India. However, the undeniable scenario going on for centuries now is the injustice suffered by women. Women have been denied education and freedom. They have survived through violence, slavery and abandonment. The condition of women in the media is no different. It is therefore important to find out whether courses like Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM), could act as agents in bringing about a change, at least in the media industry.

Women are often not given a chance to report on important stories and articles, limiting them to ‘pink’ and ‘soft’ topics such as fashion and lifestyle. While in the entertainment media objectification of women continues. Even with a slight shift in the social aspect globally and progressive thinking, the third world and smaller countries tend to still undergo these issues a lot.

While India has seen a shift in its societal thinking, it still has a long way to go to achieve a non-gender biased state. Media has proved critical in bringing this change within the diverse country for its own good. The struggle has definitely made women globally understand their fundamental rights. The path has been paved by lesser known leaders, namely Simone de Beauvoir, a French philosopher and writer who criticized the patriarchy and the idea of women belonging to passive roles. She brought in the concept of modern feminism, which is equal rights for equal opportunities. All she had to do was pen down her thoughts that have been carried and followed around by generations now.

As rightly said by the Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, “The really shocking thing is how few female leaders there are still, and that’s what we need to be working on.” 

From women like Simone to Oprah to Malala, there is one thing in common, and that is the fury amongst themselves to fight for justice and equality. To educate every suffering women, trapped in households or refused fair share that they are worth more than what they are accustomed to right now. This will only happen till women keep speaking up and demand a change which should happen collectively.

Women now have various opportunities and platforms to put forward their thoughts freely. There has been a slow, yet tremendous increase in the percentage of women working in different fields.

Specifically, media is a field for anyone to become outspoken and that is exactly what the BMM course offers. Throughout the course of three years, a student has the ability to think critically and use the right words to frame their thoughts perfectly.

Even though one decides to opt for Journalism or Advertising, they still have a profound basic knowledge of the other subjects as well. BMM is one of the most interesting courses because not only is it academic but also very practical. There are barely any institutions offering mass media courses, centred entirely on women.

In the institutions that do, it brings about the unity amongst the class as a whole. The BMM course for women is provided in very few institutions, but such opportunities do provide women from different backgrounds with confidence and self-love.

Each woman studying this course deeply does have an ambition of helping in the feminism struggle on graduating by not blindly following the concept but by understanding the core idea of it. This makes the experience a lot easier by surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals, who will lift and support when in need.

Along with the help of great mentors and supportive women, your hard work is prone to bear fruits. An idea of ‘Girl Love’ that has been spread globally by influencer Lilly Singh, famously known by her YouTube name as iiSuperwomanii. She believes in girls supporting girls and has been conveying this to her followers and viewers for years now.

Women who take up leading positions set the standards for respect. In an article in the News Laundry, Pallavi Pundir, a former reporter at The Indian Express said, “Women who lead, makes things easier for other women.”

Despite the fact that women are joining the media, they still struggle to reach the highest positions, mainly due to male dominance, family restrictions, and lack of facilities, security and inflexible working hours. Women looking for a career in media are usually discouraged, moreover, there is no fair share.

 Since entering the BMM course is vigorous with heated competition requiring dedication and time, women at senior positions are forced to back out due to family commitments. This has to change starting from the foundation to the higher ranks. Some degree colleges have turned tables by keeping the BMM course for women.

 Institutions like Sophia College, St. Pauls Institute of Communication Education and SNDT College, that solely offer mass media courses for women, is a great start that is encouraging and being supportive to women to enter this industry. The doors open for women from stern backgrounds who get the opportunity to enter the BMM course without any restrictions

Agreed, women have a long journey towards complete victory, but it cannot be done without powerful women leaders. Instead, let us all be the leaders of tomorrow for young girls with dreams that can become reality. To make a safe haven for them, so they are not forced to quit.

To make every industry equally dominant. Patriarchy in media will keep continuing and thus, there is a need to not normalize the issue. When women are leading and portrayed well as they deserve to be, that will be the moment every woman will finally put her guards down in the victory of a battle that felt never-ending.