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Negative portrayal of women in media

Special Correspondent

"Female infanticide still continues "

CUDDALORE: The educated as well as employed women should take a vow to espouse the cause of their voiceless and faceless counterparts in rural areas.

About 80 per cent of women were engaged in the agricultural sector without assured income and social recognition, said Wahida Nizam, president of the women's wing of the Tamil Nadu Bank Employees' Federation.

She was delivering a speech at the International Women's Day celebrations organised by the Cuddalore Taluk Bank Employees Union here on Saturday.

Ms Nizam said female infanticide and dowry-related deaths still continued in rural areas.

Job prospects

Mechanisation and imported technology had reduced job prospects of rural women.

Setting up of soft drink units by multinational companies had drastically depleted the groundwater, thus affecting the agricultural prospects. Ms Nizam said the lot of urban women was no better: they were subjected to discrimination at home and at working places.

The invasion of western fashion had eroded the traditional culture and even altered the food habit.

She voiced concern over the negative portrayal of women in the media and called for a change in outlook. In politics too women were yet to get due share, she said.

Ms Nizam called upon women to join force to fight atrocities against them.

District secretary of the union Meera recounted the activities of the organisation.

On behalf of teachers' wing, Ms. Ramamani Thirumalai said the orthodox view of confining women to kitchen had now changed and they had made their impressions in many fields.

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Negative portrayal of women in media

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