How to Eradicate Dowry System from Society? Take a Pledge to Dig Out Dowry from its Roots for Common Good!!

Abstract:

The Dowry system in India has been running for a long time. It is the money that is given during marriage to the boy or their family, even property can also be included in dowry. The system of dowry started in ancient times during marriage the money will be given to the groom so that he can take proper care of his bride, it was used to honor both sides of the family. As time changes dowry still remains in society but its significance keeps changing with time. 

Keywords:

Dowry, Dowry System, Social Evils, Community, Traditions, Bride, social practice

Learning Outcomes:

After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following 

1. What's exactly a Dowry?

2. Why Dowry is a social evil?

3. How Dowry System has evolved?

4. What's the effect of Dowry System?

5. How to eliminate Dowry System?

6. Conclusions

7. FAQs 

References

1. What's exactly a Dowry?

Dowry is not the new concept as it prevails among us for a long period of time and this leads to one of the most asked questions among people.

The Dowry system is becoming a burden for the bride’s family. Many times if demand is not fulfilled for the boy's side then the marriage is abruptly canceled as a result of this failure. If we see it in our Asian country, then dowry is becoming more important for the groom's side, mainly in countries like India. To end this heinous social practice, the government has made a law to refrain people from taking dowry under the Act of 1961. Whatever money or property given by the bride side they should accept but it never followed. In many places, we come to know that because of not doing so on the groom's side the girls are harmed in such a way that sometimes even it leads to death. Some people even think dowry is like crime, it's illegal and they never ask anything from the bride's family.  

2. Why Dowry is a social evil?

Dowry is a social evil in the society, that has caused unimaginable tortures and crimes towards women. The evil has taken lives of women from all stratas of society - be it poor, middle class or the rich. However it is the poor who succumb and fall prey to it, more due to their lack of awareness and education.

It has resulted in increase in crimes against women within and outside a marriage. It places an unfair economic burden towards the bride's family. The practice of dowry, thus, hinders our progress towards gender equality.

Often, the inability of bride's parents to pay high dowries at the time of marriage and/or increased greed of in-laws for more money and material leads to domestic issues after marriage, makes women vulnerable to physical violence, torture, dowry burns, and even murder.

Lack of Education- Lack of awareness or education among the bride and their families regarding the existing laws that ban dowry is one of the major causes of the prevalent dowry system. Most of them are ignored of their rights and laws due to lack of higher education thus accept whatever their grandparents pass on to them.

Patriarchal Society- Patriarchy is another social system in which man holds superior status and is allowed to create an atmosphere of predominance within their homes as well as in society. Since time immemorial men have been granted superior status not only in India but worldwide where women were not allowed even to cast their votes or give their opinion within a family.

That's why Dowry is considered as social evil.

3. How Dowry System has evolved?

• Vedic Ages Traces:
  • Traces of dowry system found in the Vedic Ages.
  • The Code of Manu sanctioned dowry and bridewealth, with dowry gaining prestige and associated with the Brahmanic caste.
• Medieval Period Transformation:
  • Dowries started as “love gifts” for upper caste marriages.
  • Demands for dowries became a precursor for marriages, spreading to lower castes and becoming a prestige issue.
• Evolution of Dowry in Medieval Times:
  • Initially, a gift to maintain the bride’s independence after marriage.
  • Became rigid, expensive, and transformed into a gift in cash or kind during medieval times.
• British Influence:
  • British authority barred women from owning property.
  • It became the only legal way to get married during the colonial period.
  • Males began to possess gifts given to the bride by her parents.
• British Raj Impact:
  • Dowry system made mandatory during British rule, leading to financial strain on the bride’s family.
  • Dowry violence emerged as husbands and families used violence to extract money, making women dependent post-marriage.
• Post-Independence Dynamics:
  • Dowry became more pronounced after India’s independence in 1947.
  • Despite being outlawed in 1961, enforcing the ban remains challenging.
• Contemporary Scenario:
  • In recent decades, dowry has evolved into a compulsory demand for money, respect, and subjugation.
  • Hinders the growth of Indian society, where women are viewed as a burden on the family.

4. What's the effect of Dowry System?

Dowry is a social evil in the society, that has caused unimaginable tortures and crimes towards women. The evil has taken lives of women from all stratas of society - be it poor, middle class or the rich.

 

However it is the poor who succumb and fall prey to it, more due to their lack of awareness and education.

Violence and Abuse: 

It can lead to domestic violence, harassment, and even dowry-related deaths, as brides are often subjected to demands for more dowry after marriage.

 

Financial Burden: 

The practice places an enormous financial burden on the bride's family, leading to debt and sometimes impoverishment.

Gender Stereotyping: 

Women are frequently viewed as liabilities due to the dowry system. They are frequently subjected to subordination and second-class treatment in terms of education and other amenities. 

Affecting a Women's Career: The lack of women in labour, and thus their lack of financial independence, is the greater context for the practice of dowry. The poorer sectors of society send their daughters out to work to help them save money for their dowry. While most middle and upper-class families send their girls to school, they do not prioritize job opportunities. 

Objectifying Women:

Today's dowry is more equivalent to a financial investment by the Bride's family to get access to powerful connections and lucrative business possibilities. As a result, women are reduced to commodities. 

Crime Against Women: Domestic violence includes the violence and murders related to dowry demands. Physical, mental, economic violence, and harassment as a way of enforcing compliance or punishing the victim are all utilized in dowry-related offenses, similar to domestic violence.

5. How to eradicate Dowry System?

Today the government has come up with many laws and reforms, not only to eradicate the dowry system but also to uplift the status of the girl child by bringing in many schemes.

It is now for society at large to become aware of and understand the situation.  It is up to all of us to take active steps in bringing about the necessary change and stop either giving or taking dowry.  We must all know that we should start valuing our daughters first so that others know their value once they grow up.

Important steps to eradicate dowry

• Educate your daughters
• Encourage them to have their own career
• Teach them to be independent and responsible
• Treat them (your daughter) equally without any discrimination
• Do not encourage the practice of giving or taking dowry

6. Conclusions

The dowry that is taken by the groom’s side should be stopped everywhere, then only the country will be developed and the daughters can be independent. Dowry is also called ‘Dahej’ in Arabic, if it is given by the bride's side without any enforcement then only it is called a gift, else it becomes a crime. If the dowry system is completely wiped out then any bride's father will not have any burden and there will be no killing of girls after or before birth. Dowry should be in the interest of the bride's family, not on demand by the groom's family. Dowry was made for the security of the bride to their new family where she marries and goes but over time people have changed its meaning to meet their needs. Let us all make endeavors to end this heinous social practice and safeguard our daughters and their bright futures. The important takeaway here is that parents should have the choice to happily give whatever they may desire to their daughters and nothing should be forced upon them in the name of traditions.

 

7. FAQs

Q. Do you think Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’  initiative of Government India is for bringing equality among men and women?

Ans.:

In India, everyone speaks and progresses for women's rights and says ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ but a girl even after achieving everything in her life; where starts taking care of her family but even then she can't escape the shackles of dowry. Sometimes because of dowry which is mostly prevalent among the below poverty line people, they kill their daughters after they are born or before their birth in the mother’s womb itself so that they can escape dowry. Since they know after growing up and educating her, they still need to give dowry in order to get her married.

However, one fails to understand that it is not a daughter’s fault for which she is being wrongfully punished but the fault of the society that allows such practices even after so many years of independence.  

Q. Do Dowry was in practice during British Raj?

Ans :

The History of Dowry The dowry system predates the British period and colonization in India. In those days, dowry was not considered "money" or a "fee" that the Bride's parents had to pay. One of the fundamental purposes of dowry was it acted as a form of protection for the wife against the ill-treatment by her husband and his family. Dowry also served as a helping hand for the bride and the groom to build a life together after marriage. When British authority came into effect, however, women were barred from owning any property. Women were not permitted to purchase any real estate, land, or assets. As a result, males began to possess all of the "Gifts" provided to the Bride by her parents. During the British Raj, the dowry system was made mandatory leading to immense pressure on the bride’s family financially. Dowry violence has become a prominent aspect that can be observed till date. The husband or his family use violence as a method to extract money from the bride’s family as a “gift.” This system leads to women being dependent on their husbands or in-laws after their marriage. 

References:

1. Statista

2. Legal Service India

3. https://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/social-awareness/dowry

4. Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki Dowry system in India

5.https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.study24x7.com/amp/article/1790/the-dowry-system-causes-effects-and-solution