Women Empowerment Ads – Stereotype or Effective? The early nineteenth century saw the spread of socio-religious reform movements in India. Apart from caste, another main focus of these movements was women. They worked towards the upliftment of women – liberating women from the low social status they were ascribed. During the hundred and fifty odd years that followed, we slowly transitioned from the concept of ‘women upliftment ' to ‘women empowerment '. If women upliftment involved drawing women out of their homes, educating them and providing them with basic opportunities in life (that ironically, we tend to take for granted in today 's world), women empowerment encompasses a much broader perspective. It is more about egalitarianism, life skills and in Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen 's words, the freedom of choice. The twentieth century saw rapid development in the field of technology. With the advent of the television, computer and the internet, the field of advertising took on a whole new meaning. It became a reflection of the society as well as a reflection on the society. Social change got intricately woven into the fabric of mass communicating advertisements. A striking example is that of the advertisements which have much to do with women and consequently, their empowerment. The amount of influence that these commercials have on women is nothing short of incredible. But how much of it is actually effective in bringing about social change and how much is mere stereotyping?