ABSTRACT:
Kerala attained social development similar to that of developed countries, in spite of its poor economic conditions. But the status of women is still pathetic. Being a 100% literate state, the newspapers can play an important role in this regard. This study depicts how the major Malayalam newspapers address women issues and creates women images through their articles. The main objective of the study is to find out the space allotted for women related news items and women writers in Malayalam newspapers. It also intends to compare the present status of newspaper’s approach with prior experiences in this regard. This study analyses news items, features, editorials, interviews and other articles published in two major Malayalam newspapers, viz Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi. Content analysis is the method used to collect data. Secondary source of data is also being used for this study. The study reveals that newspapers are not giving an important role to women issues, but Mathrubhumi is a little better than Malayala Manorama.