IMPACT OF OCCUPATIONAL POWER AND SOCIAL STATUS DEPICTED IN PAKISTANI TV DRAMAS: A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

This research paper is based on how our Pakistani TV dramas portray occupational power and social status through their distinctive setting. Through a sociological analysis, we explored the issue of why Pakistani TV dramas depict typical appearances and specific kinds of dressing to represent a particular social class, e.g., shalwar kameez for the poor and jeans for the rich. Even professional careers such as schoolteachers for the middle class and fashion designers for the upper class are based upon the same factors. A character’s typical background and belongings are also used to show his social status, e.g., in most dramas, middle-class men wear slippers, and the rich wear branded shoes, sunglasses, and watches. In this study, we argue that the depiction of social class is often biased and does not precisely reflect reality. This significantly impacts the viewers’ minds. This visual representation is evident in Pakistani Urdu television dramas of the past ten years. Using a qualitative research design, we collected our data through in-depth interviews to evaluate the social impact of these visual representations. The paper also supports George Gerbner’s Cultivation Analysis theory and its arguments, proving how TV dramas directly impact heavy viewers’ minds, reflecting their behavior.