Sexual harassment and exploitation exist in every culture no matter how advanced and civilized that culture is. The difference is only in degree rather than in kind. One example of such fulmination and exploitation can be found in the media. In order to see to what extent the abuse of women persists in the media of two very large and very different societies, commercials on Indian and U.S. television were studied. Television commercials were selected because: in spite of the growing concern and opposition from the feminist movement, TV commercials continue to portray the negative image of the gender bias role of females; television ads are a reflection of society; the gender stereotypes are more explicit in television commercials than any other regular programming; and the humiliation of women is nowhere more evident than in TV commercials. The study reveals that while U.S. television commercials continue to present only one aspect of women's life (their relationship to men as wives, subordinates, or sex-objects); Indian TV commercials are imitating the Western tradition and increasing the abuse of women every day. The sad thing is that men and women do not react to this impropriety in the same way. In fact many men like it as it is. The change in this traditionally locked image, however, must take place, and it must take place now if the coming generation is to be saved from this stereotypic gender image. (Author/DB)