IMPACT OF MASS MEDIA ON RURAL WOMEN: A STUDY OF SHIMLA DISTRICT

Media is considered as the fourth estate of democracy. It has become an essential part of our lives and serves in various forms like television, radio, books, magazines, newspapers, mobile phones, internet, etc. These different forms of media help to educate, inform and entertain our society. Mass media has been affecting the social lives of rural women. It plays a vital role in changing the personality of rural women as it influences their thinking and understanding level, thus, widening their mental horizons. The primary role of mass media is to inform and educate rural women. It also recognises the problems of rural women which they confront in their daily life. The present paper has made an effort to know the impact of mass media on rural women. In this paper, an attempt has been made to know the level of media exposure of rural women of Jubbal-Kotkhai Block of Shimla district and to understand how mass media is bringing the changes in their socio-cultural life.