Proceedings, 8th International Conference on Language and Development, Bangladesh 2009 Gender Stereotypes in the Language of Pakistani Newspapers Sarwet Rasul Abstract Language, culture and media create a triangle in which each affects the other two and in turn is affected by them. As far as language is concerned, it is greatly influenced by social and cultural features, of which gender is an important factor. Choices of language are more gender biased in male dominant and female subservient societies. In Pakistan too, gender discrimination is a prominent feature of language use. Printed media clearly reflects this bias. The showbiz section that constitutes an important part of Pakistani newspapers also manifests gender specific language choices. The present research explores the language of the showbiz section of selected newspapers to examine how gender is portrayed in entertainment features of newspapers with reference to social and cultural stereotypes operating in our society. The data is categorized and analyzed from both linguistic and social perspectives. It is expected that the research would not only help in understanding gender specific language choices in Pakistani print media but would also be relevant to the Bangladeshi context in many ways. Issue in the Context of Pakistani Society Pakistan is a traditional patriarchal society with gender ideologies and disparities operating in different walks of life in favour of men and against women. The stereotypical image of women is created through their binary projection as incarnations of subordination, obedience, subservience, docility and compliance on one hand, and commodities to be purchased, used, and played with on the other. Like in most fields, Pakistani media also works under a structure in which women are either submissive sufferers or objects to entertain. “This media projection is in fact a reproduction of the existing and established image of women in our society” (Rasul, 2008: 74). In general in Pakistani society prejudice against women exists in all spheres of life; thus Pakistani newspapers, both English and Urdu, also give biased and prejudiced coverage to women in the domain of fashion. This prejudice and bias is created as well as reflected through pictorial, thematic and linguistic gender-specific representations. Aim and Significance of the Research The aim of the research is to examine how Pakistani newspapers present gender stereotypes operating in society through the showbiz and entertainment sections; and how the thematic projection, pictorial presentation and linguistic choices in the showbiz news are used to project and reinforce women as stereotypically weak individuals, displayable commodities and purchasable products in opposition to men as powerful individuals, potential beings and capable professionals. Media can be used as a tool to study the sociological composition of a society. The deconstruction of language used in showbiz and entertainment news can significantly contribute to the understanding of gender frameworks operating in society. The portrayal of women in the fashion and showbiz industries is gender sensitive. Men and women in the showbiz industry are categorized differently, and are perceived in different ways in Pakistan. Proceedings, 8th International Conference on Language and Development, Bangladesh 2009 One of the underlying concerns motivating this research on gender images in newspapers is an interest in the exploration of the general claims of progress we make towards the social equality of women in society today. As media are involved in this progress, just as they are in any other social movement in modern times, examining the part the media play in projecting men and women is of special importance. The fashion and showbiz industries are also gaining pace and enlightenment, and the image of women seems to have changed over time. However, the way language is used for men and women remains gender sensitive in several aspects. In the Pakistani context, this paper will bring forward how women are projected differently from men in the showbiz news and what are the socio-cultural reasons for and implications of this projection. Literature Review What is Gender? Difference between Gender and Sex Meyerhoff (2006) asserts that sex is a biological category whereas gender is a social and cultural category; sex can be defined objectively and scientifically such as the number of X chromosomes a person has. To Wharton (2005: 7), sex is only a biological factor with “distinguishable characteristics, which include chromosomal differences, external and internal sexual structures, hormonal productions and other psychological differences, and secondary sex characteristics”. The biological aspects of sex for Delamont (1990: 7) involve “physiology, anatomy, genetics, hormones” whereas the non-biological aspects of gender are the differences between males and females like “clothes, interests, attitudes, behaviours and aptitudes”. In this regard Meyerhoff (2006) asserts that gender “is a social property: something acquired or constructed through your relationships with others and through an individual’s adherence to certain cultural norms and proscriptions”. To Eckert (2003: 14), “[i]f gender flowed naturally from sex, one might expect the world to sit back and simply allow the baby to become male or female”; however it does not happen naturally. Children acquire gender roles from society and the people around them as Epstein (1995: 58) points out: … babies are not born gendered, but learn to become gendered … in other words … sex is given which cannot be changed. Gender, on the other hand, is learnt and in the ways in which one becomes gendered may vary according to time, place and culture. For this reason there is universally a definite distinction between the two sexes, their roles and characteristics but the gender roles change with respect to the society. Jackson and Gee (2005: 116) assert that "… a post-structuralist theorization proposes that gender is fluid, negotiated and constructed across different social and cultural contexts”. Thus, gender indicates the socially constructed roles, behaviours and characteristics that a particular society deems appropriate for men and women. The social and cultural roles assigned and expected by the society one lives in create gender distinction, and it has nothing to do with the biological phenomenon one is born with. According to the international social structure gender and its categories are defined in a different way than sex such as wife a woman, dentist a man, and so on (Oakley, 1972). Oakley further argues that gender is a visible sum of the qualities including mannerisms, ways of speaking, dress, choice of topics in conversation and so on. To Cornell (2004), in its initial meaning the term gender was used critically in social, political and scientific works; however, it introduced new dimensions of human history as for the first time it looked forward to see women’s subjugation in different spheres of life and how women can play positive roles in social, political and economic life. Proceedings, 8th International Conference on Language and Development, Bangladesh 2009 Gender cannot be treated as an individual’s qualities or characteristics as the people belonging to a particular area exhibit the same behavioural traits as the majority of those in the locality posses on the basis of their approach to a particular sex category. So, on the basis of these ideas, gender can rightly be treated as a “multi-level phenomenon”, which on one hand enables men and women to interact socially, and on the other hand makes institutions to work under the division of gender (Warton, 2005). Gender and Language: Gendered Language The relationship between gender and language is noteworthy in terms of social, cultural and contextual background of a particular society. Gender refers to the roles of males and females assigned to them by society. Language encompasses their thoughts, which again are influenced and shaped by the society they live in. So the relationship between gender and language operates on the socio-cultural level. “Language defines men and women differently” (Wood, 2005: 106). The gender stereotypes that exist in language operate in a particular society in a number of ways. Language is used to define women by appearance and relationships, and men by activities, accomplishments or positions. The connotations of words or the language used are important in relating them with gender because language is gendered both explicitly and implicitly, and connotations attached to words are a frequently used tool of gendering language implicitly. Romaine (1994) says cultural stereotypes exhibit spinster as having a negative connotation in contrast to bachelor. This extends so much so that women’s accepted association with relationships is highlighted through language with the use of words such as Miss or Mrs (Romaine, 1999). This also accentuates that language is essential in the definition of female and male experiences, exposing popular images as metaphors that mask male sexual dominance and aggression. Gender Roles and Language Bem (1993) asserts that people are recognized through a “lens” of gender polarization, and that language plays a vital role in this gender polarization. Gender roles are confirmed, reinforced and sustained through the use of language. They are deeply embedded in our minds and are further shaped and intensified by the everyday interaction in the society we live in. Hence,