Dowry

• 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 

Bride Price / Wealth

• form of mage payment involving transfer of goods, money or livestock to bride’s group to compensate for loss of women’s labour and her child’s labour.
  • So balanced reciprocity
• commonest form of mage payment.
• In such customs, m’age corporate enterprise in which control over valuables is exercised by older generation men.
• commonest in Africa & oceania, though form of payment varies.
• social conditions
  • More common in patrilineal descent system
  • subsistence economy with horticulture or pastoral
  • Absence of social stratification.
  • land abundance.
  • contribution of woman’s labour to group welfare. 
  • No higher Status to woman as male takes decisions 
• Reasons for bride price,
  • way of valuing labor of women, 
  • efforts involved by her family in raising her
  • labour value of woman’s offspring
  • searing rights over her children by bride’s group.
• Types of exchanges
  • Swasi Tribes (S. Africa) →  cattles (No. varies acc. to girl’s rank)
  • Masai (kenya Tanzania) → cows
  • Siane, (PNG) & Ifugao (Philippines) → Pigs 
  • Navaho (Somalia) →  horse.
  • kwakiuttl ved Indians →  Blanket.
• Consequences
  • consolidation of family ties & permanance of alliance.
  • implications on status & power.
  • economics of inheritance.
  • compensation for loss of labour.
  • Guarantees sexual rights to the groom 
  • Divorce : fault of groom – bride wealth not returned, fault of bride – bride wealth is returned 
  • It works against divorce or for proper behaviour with one’s spouse as second m’age for groom is costlier & for bride’s family it brings less bride wealth. 
• Recent Shifts
  • from B.P.→  indirect dowry (from husband to bride) 
• Conclusion – represents egalitarianism in societies, also justifies loss of woman’s contribution to her paternal economy.

Bride Service aka Suitor Service

• service rendered by bridegrooms to bride’s family as bride price before or after mage result in matri-pairi locality 
• common in matrilocal societies. 
• duration & by negotiation
• Rather than compensation, Dean (1995)’s study on  Orahina in Amazon suggest it as politics of m’age.
• some Ⓟ :  it is form of Bride price.
• In many neo tropical society, husband cannot excercise full Power eco, pol or sexual power over wife untill completion of BS. 
• most common in Amazonia.
• Examples
  • In Hebrew Bible: Jacob laboured for Laban for 14 yrs to marry Rachael.
• In “bride service societies” Jane collier & Michele Rosaldo (1981) – man more dependent on woman, so their m’age faciliate men’s achievement of status. Thus B.S= man’s  establishment & maintainance of claims. on woman as wives.