This leads to both to the chronic undervaluing of women, and a huge gender disparity. There are girls for every boys in India in the age group, according to census data.
Over time, the practice morphed into a system that encourages the dominance of husbands and the dependence of wives. Now She Fears for Her Life. India, where dowries are most common, has one of the lowest rates of female participation in the labor force in the world.
It's sometimes even seen as an affront if a woman, after paying a dowry, decides to pursue a career. Dowries often force poor families to take out loans with steep interest rates, sell off their land to raise money, promise to pay dowries in installments, and other scenarios that can lead to crippling debt. And some parents take out high-interest loans from money lenders and get trapped with huge debts. Dowries also deepen class hierarchies. Wealthy families who expect higher dowries essentially exclude poor families from asking for a marriage.
But more needs to be done. A dowry is a gift of substantial monetary value given from either the bride or groom to their future spouse upon marriage. Xavier Livermon to learn more about the history and meaning of the dowry, as well as address some common questions and myths about the tradition. Meet the Expert. While it is commonly thought that a dowry is always given by a woman to her future husband, it is the reverse in other cultures, where the groom offers a gift to the bride or her family upon marriage.
The dowry can serve as a gift to in-laws or insurance for the bride should she choose to leave her husband. It is something she can take with her in the event of divorce to ensure her financial security. Over time, it became common practice for families to exploit the dowry system all over the world in some cases. What was meant to be a gift and promise of security from one partner to another soon became a financial demand that resulted in broken engagements or divorce, violence, and even death for unpaid dowries.
It is for this reason that countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, Greece, and Kenya passed laws making dowries illegal in any capacity. This varies from across different cultures and religions. In Muslim cultures , however, it is the groom that bequeaths a gift or Mahr to his bride. The bride price is also commonly practiced by many major Black African cultural groups across all regardless of socioeconomic standing.
The amount of dowry depends on the culture and on factors such as class or income. In addition to cash, a dowry can also come in the form of jewelry , furniture, property, a vehicle, or livestock.
But law always seeming to favour girls is basically unfavouring the rightful people. Core reason is the biased law. Asked 7 years ago in Family Law. Ask a question and receive multiple answers in one hour. Lawyers are available now to answer your questions. Ask a question. Ajay Sethi. Shashidhar S. Ask a Lawyer Get legal answers from lawyers in 1 hour. Simply put, the infamous dowry system dehumanizes females by treating them as exchangeable commodities. Creating social awareness among the masses should be the first step in the fight to eradicate this social evil.
Media, in this case, can play a proactive role. No doubt, several laws have been enacted so far, including the Dowry Prohibition Act, , but the action needs to be taken on the front of enforcement.
Parents must be alert of any suspicious injury or bruises of their daughters after their marriage. Bottom Line: Our conscience needs to be fully awakened to the evils of the dowry system. Also, educated males must refuse to be sold and choose their partners in a fair manner.
Taking into account the far-reaching consequences, it is the need of the hour to stand up against this social evil.
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