Dowry is a custom practiced mostly by intensive agriculturalists with significant inequalities in wealth. It is a form of marital exchange occurring in 5% of the societies studied by anthropologists in Europe, Southern Asia, and the Middle East, the most well-known being the Indian Hindus. Generally speaking, it involves the transfer of property, money, or goods, such as household wares, jewelry, cars, and clothing from the bride’s family to the bride, groom, or groom’s family. The dowry is actually the daughter’s inheritance and functions to mark the social status of both the spouses and their offspring and solidify the marriage contract. Much of the dowry is presented on the wedding day, but the bride’s parents and maternal uncle provide gifts periodically throughout the marriage. In patrilocal societies, where the bride goes to live with the groom’s family, dowry payments transfer money to the bride’s new residence and are a public announcement of the new alliance between families.
In Hindu culture, dowry or daan dehej is considered a matter of religious duty, or dharma, referred to in religious texts, such as the Manusmriti. It creates an atmosphere in which women are seen as property, governed first by their father and later by their husband. Though there are some “love matches,” in which couples ask for negotiations to begin between family representatives, marriages are usually arranged by the parents through kin and other networks but can also be established from want ads placed in the newspapers. These advertisements, placed by the parents, include attributes such as age, income, occupation, physical features, kinship ties, family background, place of residence, personality, consideration of dowry, time and type of marriage, and language, through which the families evaluate potential family alliances.
The institution of dowry in India has resulted in a high incidence of violence against women. Advances in medical technology that can determine the sex of the fetus have introduced the practice of selective female abortions. Because dowry payments are a drain on the bride’s family, female children are less valuable and therefore considered expendable. Statistics from a 2001 census show that there are now 933 women to every 1,000 men. Furthermore, rates of female suicide have increased in cases where the families cannot afford to produce a dowry. However, most violent acts occur after the marriage has taken place, with additional demands from the groom or groom’s family. If these demands cannot be met, the results are the abuse and torment of the wife, which ultimately end in her death. “Bride burning” is a practice during which the woman is burned to death in kerosene, the fuel typically used in kitchen stoves. A hospital in Delhi typically sees three to four burn victims a day who report having “fallen onto a stove” as the cause of their injuries. While in the hospital, the groom’s family still harasses and threatens these women to keep them from telling the authorities what really happened.
In 1961, the Dowry Prohibition Act made the practice illegal; however, it has proven to be ineffective in combating this social issue. Because the victims rarely incriminate their attackers and the custom is entrenched in the society, the law is not easily enforced. There are some women who act out against the demands and call the police, and on these occasions the men are arrested and sent to prison.
Trends suggest that it is in the urban areas of Northern India that the occurrence of “bride burning” is the highest. Because of the lack of social controls that are more obvious in the rural areas, the groom’s family is able to act with impunity. In smaller communities, the husband and family are held accountable for their actions. Also, women in these areas are more involved in the family’s economic production and are consequently more valuable. This custom and the social issues surrounding it continue today.
References:
- Bailey, G., & Peoples, J. (2002). Essentials of cultural anthropology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
- Murdock, G. P. (1949). Social structure. New York: Macmillan.
- Van Willigen, J., & Channa, V. C. (2004). Law, custom, and crimes against women: The problem of dowry death in India. In N. F. Bellantoni & L. L. Fernandes (Eds.), Anthropologists at work: An introductory Reader (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Pearson.
