preference for sons. Their empirical strategy was to use PSM to compare outcomes for women who were similar across every dimension except their TV viewership.

Similar patterns are observed in non-causal or correlation-based studies. Lin and Adserà (2013) also use NFHS-3 to find that mothers’ exposure to TV was associated with girls spending fewer hours doing household chores, and a smaller gap between girls and boys in terms of time spent doing chores. Barber and Axinn (2004) use couples-data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study in rural Nepal to identify the negative association between exposure to different media formats and son preference. Barber and Axinn (2004) try to address the limitations of the nonrandomized research design by looking at the relationship between exposure to different media formats (newspapers, radio, TV, and movies have their own determinants for access and self-selection) and son preference. Pande and Astone (2007) use NFHS-2 data to find comparable results for the association between different types of media exposure (radio, TV, movies) and son preference.

These mediums are effective because they introduce individuals to lifestyles, values and behaviors that are different from their own. In doing so, they develop in viewers a sense of awareness of how their own social interactions compare with those of the characters they see on television or film (Jensen & Oster 2009). The fictional drama format is particularly advantageous as it can be entertaining and instructional without being condescending to the viewer. As such, they are more likely to be popular among the key target audience: young women (Naqvi 2006).

However, content produced for the multi-media format need not necessarily produce the desired social response. Content producers have to walk a thin line to make sure they do not alienate their audiences. For example, _Atmajaa_ was a fictional drama centered on the issue of sex selection that aired in India in 2004. An audience impact study of the show suggested that while young women were receptive to the message of the show, older women felt negatively stereotyped, married women felt their decision-making process was not clearly depicted, and men felt poorly represented. Episodes following the impact study tried to address these issues, however, no evaluation was conducted for these later episodes (Naqvi 2006).

The media can also be effectively used to disseminate technical reports that can spur public awareness of the consequences of sex selection. Reports on census results, cross-country and overtime sex ratio comparisons, the local impact of excess males and bride scarcity, the resulting trafficking of women etc. can be circulated. Vietnam is an example of a country where observable sex imbalances in statistical surveys were immediately conveyed by the media to the public. As a result, sex selection soon became a national issue (Guilmoto 2012a).

Efforts to strategically draw international attention to growing social problems in a country and lackluster government responses to those problems can also be effective. For example, the resolution of the Council of Europe (2014; 2011) seems to have been successful in shaming South Caucasus countries about the unfettered rise in sex selection, and in pressuring these countries to strengthen policies (including banning prenatal sex selection) to counter it (ibid).

Aside from the resolution of the Council of Europe however, there have been limited awareness building efforts on the issue of sex selection and son preference in the South Caucasus countries. In Armenia, a six-episode TV series that drew attention to the concerns and achievements of 38