- substantial transfer of goods & money from bride family to bride.
- Negative reciprocity in which bride & payment moves in same direction.
- I.e not a exchange b/w kins of bridegroom but one way flow
- However can be general balanced reciprocity when used for groom’s sister’s m’age.
- Types of property involves varies tremendously → Personal possessions , Money, Servants , Land
- Social condition under which dowry exists
- women contribute less to primary subsistence.
- high degree of social stratification.
- Monogamy → man not allowed move than wife simulteneously..
- Theories explaining existence
- dowries in lieu of right of Inheritance from father’s estate. (Goody & Tambiah, 1973)
- affirms alliance beth twoo families involved.
- some protection to woman against abusive husband.
- future support to women & her children even if she does not do primary subsistrace work
- Attract best bridegroom for daughter in monogamous societies with high degree of inequality.
- protection in wake of death of husband & No right to Inheritance.
Political dimension
- marrying son’s with woman of rich noble family to gain financial gains eg- medieval europe
- huge docories to form martial alliance with families of higher caste to elevate social status. (especially in hypergamy) eg-Norhtern India.
- Prevalence – common practice in S. Asia, disappeared from europe
- Mythology – In Indian Hindu society can be traced back to types of m’age. Acc to mythology Araha, Asura & Prajapatya m’ages involve payment of money by bride’s father to the groom.
- In hindu Philosophy every Dana has to be accompanied by Dakshina ; Kanyadan being the best kind of Dana has to be accompanied by Vara Dakshina
- Consequences
- female foeticide, infanticide
- chlid m’age.
- low level of literacy & edu to woman.
- harassment & Killing of woman.
- Debate
- Menski 1999 – whether such social evils are due to practice of custom of dowry or result of modern conditions that undermined r/l b/w two families & inflated cash value of dowry.
- Measures –
- Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
- IPC sec. 304B & 498 A.
- conclusion – hence dowry has been a social evil in India which should be curbed at the earliest
