We need to show women as equals in the content we create: Raji Ramaswamy, Contract India

In an exclusive AMA session for #Superwomen2020, Raji Ramaswamy, CEO, Contract India spoke at length on the truth about portrayal and representation of women in ads, long-format content & films.

Raji Ramaswamy, CEO, Contract India comes with 25+ years of experience in the A & M industry. In an exclusive conversation with Social Samosa at its AMA live-session for #Superwomen2020, Ramaswamy shed light on the depiction of women in various content formats.

"I think we have come a long way in terms of digital and OTT content", she said. But there's still a long way to go in mainline and television when it comes to narrating tales of a progressive woman & breaking stereotypes, according to the leader.

"But now the scenarios have changed from the women being depicted as only a daughter or a mother to someone taking charge."

Are we targeting modern women with suited-content in the right manner? To this, she believes that it's the women who have to push the conversation forward in terms of the content they consume. But to change the behavior/mindset of people, she says, we need more portrayal of female power in content.

Then, how do we fill the need-gap? It is important to stay away from stereotyping, she believes. "We need to show women equal and mainstream".

Explaining further, Ramaswamy says that instead of just showcasing the problems faced by a woman, she needs to be celebrated in powerful roles and not as isolated cases. Instead of showing her in the victim roles, she suggests that it becomes pertinent to show more shades of women and train the content creators on how to write such powerful women characters.

Also read: Lauding the winners of #Superwomen2020

After all the challenges and struggles, what does it take to break through the glass ceiling for a woman and emerge as the leader? Ramaswamy expresses that there might not be enough women leaders in boardrooms but things are beginning to change.

According to her, few factors to bring forth an equitable environment are:

• An enabling workplace with no gender-bias & flexibility helps women to handle multiple roles, both, at home and work.
• Safety is another key factor to help women stay in the workforce
• The worst enemy for a woman would be her mind and if she wants something, she can get it. Staying positive is relevant.

Speaking on gender-pay-gap, she shares that in the end, the passion for work, confidence, and competence accelerates a woman to grow & do better in life. Also, she quips in that if we are fighting for better pay, we need to be available. But for that we need to ensure there are enough women in the pool while hiring.

Ramaswamy summarizes and shares tips for content creators aiming to showcase women-centric content:

• Avoid stereotyping women in specific roles while characterizing. There's more to them
• Do not undermine women or make them feel unworthy.
• Don't showing violence and abuse against them in content.