The results of India’s 2011 Census on gender inequality is shocking in its implication; far fewer girls than boys are born in the country each year in the last decade. Comparing the number of girls actually born to the number that would have been born under a normal ratio suggests that “600,000 Indian girls go missing every year,” comments The Economist. The catastrophe stems from traditional perception of so-called Indian parents — the boy is a help for the future, where the girl is a liability. “What is alarming is that female foeticide is more common among educated middle-class than poor rural families,” says Indian Union Health Minister. Worse still this trend is increasing.
Globalisation and exposure to western thinking process have brought in slow but steady changes in the way we used to think about ourselves and about the world around us. Apparently a lot has also changed in the world of Indian women- the way they dress, the way they are taking strides in the so-called man’s world; one would have expected that the traditional perception about the girl child must have become more positive in the society in the last 10 years but the Census figures tells a diametrically opposite story. It seems the negative perception has not only been kept alive, but also nurtured and cultivated in the society. It may be an interesting angle to find out what is the discourse around girls and largely around women in the public domain as mirrored in the popular culture in the last ten years. This will to some extent bring out how far we as marketeers and communicators are a party to perpetuate this perception?
Ten years after globalisation Indian MNCs are busy selling fairness creams projecting and focusing dark skin as a barrier in the marriage market. Such communication only reiterates the image of girl’s marriage as a monster in the parent’s mind. Brands only changed communication when activists, intelligentsia and the policing bodies started crying wolf.
Apart from a handful of stories of empowered and successful girls on scooters and cars the major advertisers in TV are the beauty care and grooming products which ruthlessly exploits the fragility of female beauty. Having created a hamesha gorgeous icon of her, brands made her a hysterical about her looks. Falling hair, boring black hair, crack sat her heels, blackheads at the tip of her nose, nightmare of a pimple breaking out made her buy costly
cosmetics — because you are worth it. Every TV channel has their own local Shehnaz Husain with their hundred products and facial packages.
Specter of dowry has never stopped haunting the parents of a girl child. The construct of the father of ladki has traditionally been accepted as an object of social ragging. There is no respite from this traditional victimisation. Ads tongues in cheek still perpetuate those perceptions starting from the classic Pan Parag ad, Hum ladkewale hain bhai. Demon of dowry is alive, flourishing and in some cases glorified. MP and MLA’s sons are getting choppers as gifts from marriages and are highlighted in media almost reconfirming the sanctity of dowry wrapped in kind in
marriage.
Marriage as a monstrous expenditure has only snowballed over the years. Strangely globalised Indian youth have shown their preferences for the traditional marriage over plain and functional model of court marriage. And the traditional form of Indian marriage has progressively become bigger, larger and spectacular over the last two decades. The Bollywood single handedly designed the glamour quotient around it — elaborate sagai, prolonged sangeet, massive processions, song, dance, fireworks, drinks, DJs, filmy mujras — a spectacle which need to be professionally managed at a professional price.
All diamond brand commercials are revolving round marriage situations where breath-taking diamond necklaces both in terms of look and money are bringing in new standard of marriage trousseau striking terror in the middleclass parents’ hearts. The whole construct never allowed girl child to be perceived in the positive light. She remains forever stuck at cost centre, bigger, escalating and snowballing cost.
But what I feel, there is a need to integrate the issues of negative perception about girl child with our day-to-day thinking by making us proud about girl child and by driving home the belief the she is the most beautiful wonderful and valuable gift of nature. And advertising can do it. There is always a fresh way of doing things in advertising and marketing linking issues with day-to-day products. It does its job in small emotional, lovable steps without being judgmental about people. A special mention here is the Maruti commercial where the working girl gifts a cheque to her father to buy a big car, and proud father smilingly utters car bari ho gayee aur beti bhi (My car has become big and so has my daughter).
When would Indian parents’ tone change from fear to pride when they utter the line Beti badi ho gayi. Think about it.

The writer is VP, consumer nnsight & HFD (human futures development), McCann Erickson India. He can be reached at kishore. chakraborti@mccann.com