EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF RAMADAN TRANSMISSION ON PAKISTANI WOMEN, PROBLEM STATEMENT

Abstract

The television broadcasts of Ramadan are given significant space in the religious broadcasting industry in Pakistan to influence the religious knowledge, emotional feelings and daily experiences in the sacred month. The extant studies on the topic have executed religious broadcasting based on institutional and content-centred approaches; nevertheless, little focus has been made on the lived experiences of women as main spectators in the domestic context. This paper examines the nature of Pakistani women and their consumption of Ramadan television broadcasts, geared towards religious education, emotional stability, day-to-day activities, and trust in gender roles. The data was gathered with the help of a structured questionnaire following an exploratory qualitative process with the aid of descriptive analysis, simplifying the selection of women living in urban and semi-urban centres of Punjab and Sindh. The results show that Ramadan transmissions are available sources of religious information and emotional support, especially to women who have lower access to formal religious organisations. Meanwhile, the shows have a habit of supporting traditional gender roles within the household and ethical duties. Nevertheless, the research study shows that women do not passively receive televised religious content, but actively decode and bargain it. Through foregrounding the views held by women, this paper will make a contribution to the general discourse about media, religion, and gender and the necessity of making religious media practices more inclusive and gender-sensitive.