long essay on dory system
Answers
Answer:
Dowry system has been prevalent in our society as well as many other societies across the globe since times immemorial. While it started as helping the daughters to be self sufficient and financially independent as they moved to the new place over the period of time it has turned into a heinous practice that rather than empowering the women has turned against them.
Dowry is a Curse to the Society
Dowry, the practice of giving gifts in the form of cash, property and other assets by the bride’s family to the groom and groom’s family, can actually be termed as a curse to the society especially to the women. It has given rise to several crimes against women. Here is a look at the various troubles this system creates for the brides and their family members:
Financial Burden on the Family
The parents of a girl child begin saving for her ever since she is born. They keep saving for the wedding for years as they are responsible for conducting the entire affair right from decoration to catering to renting the banquet. And as if this wasn’t enough, they also require giving huge amount of gifts to the groom, his family as well as his relatives. Some people end up borrowing money from their relatives and friends while others take loans from bank to meet the demands.
Lowers Standard of Living
The bride’s parents end up spending so much on their daughter’s marriage that they often end up lowering their standard of living. Many end up in debt and spend the rest of their lives repaying it.
Gives Rise to Corruption
Giving dowry and organizing a decent enough wedding function is something that cannot be escaped for those who have a girl child. They need to accumulate money for the same no matter what and in the event many give in to corrupt means such as taking bribes, forging tax or conducting certain business activities using unfair means.
Emotional Stress for the Girl
The in-laws often compare the gifts brought by their daughter-in-law by those brought by other girls in their vicinity and pass sarcastic remarks making her feel tormented. Girls often feel emotionally stress due to this and some even undergo depression.
Physical Abuse
While some in-laws make it a habit to be sarcastic with their daughter-in law and leave no occasion to humiliate and bad mouth her others take to physical abuse. Several cases of women being hit and burned because of their inability of fulfilling the huge dowry demands keep surfacing every now and then.
Female Foeticide
A girl child is seen as a burden for the family. It is the dowry system that has given rise to female foeticides. Female foetus is aborted by several couples. The cases of girl child being abandoned are also common in India.
Conclusion
The practice of dowry is strongly condemned. The government has also passed law making dowry a punishable offence however it is still being practiced in most parts of the country causing agony for the girls and their families.
Answer:
Dowry System has been a dominant part of the Indian society. In many parts it is known to be embedded in the culture and has become more of a ritual. This undue custom of the bride’s parents giving away expensive gifts in the form of cash and kind during her wedding started as a way of empowering the women as they began their new life at a completely new place. Initially, cash, jewellery and other such gifts were given to the bride however the sole purpose of the system has deviated over the period of time and the gifts are now given to groom, his parents and relatives. The jewellery, cash and other stuff given to the bride are also kept in safe by her in-laws. A number of factors such as illiteracy, gender inequality and lack of strict laws against this system have given rise to this evil practice.
Laws against Dowry System
Dowry system is one of the most heinous social systems in the Indian society. It has also given rise to several issues such as female foeticide, abandoning of girl child, financial problems in the girl’s family, unfair means to earn money, emotional and physical abuse of the daughter-in-law. In order to curb this problem, the government has come up with laws making dowry a punishable act. Here is a detailed look at these laws:
The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
By way of this act a legal system to monitor the give and take of dowry was put in place. As per this act, a penalty is imposed in the event of dowry exchange. The punishment involves a minimum of 5 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of INR 15,000 or the dowry amount based on whichever is greater. A demand for dowry is equally punishable. Any direct or indirect demand for dowry could lead to 6 months of imprisonment and a fine of INR 10,000.
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
Many women are abused emotionally and physically for not meeting the dowry demands of their in laws. This law has been put in place in order to empower women against such abuse. It protects women from domestic violence. All forms of abuse including physical, emotional, verbal, economic and sexual are punishable under this law. The punishment for different types and severity of abuse vary.
Possible Ways to Eradicate Dowry System
Despite the laws inflicted by the government, the dowry system still has a strong hold in the society. Here are a few solutions for eradicating this problem:
Education
Lack of education is one of the main contributors to social practices such as dowry system, caste system and child labour. People must be educated to promote logical and reasonable thinking to get rid of belief systems that give rise to such evil practices.
Empowering Women
Instead of looking for a well-settled groom for their daughters and investing all their savings in the wedding, people must spend on the latter’s education and make her self-dependent. Women must continue to work even after their marriage and focus their energy on productive things rather than succumbing to the sarcastic remarks of in-laws. Women must also be made aware of their rights and how they can use them to guard themselves from any kind of abuse.
Gender Equality
Gender inequality that exists at the core of our society is one of the main reasons for dowry system. From a very early age, children must be taught how both males and females have equal rights and are not superior/ inferior to each other.
Apart from this campaigns should be held to sensitize the issue and the laws set by the government must be made more stringent.
Conclusion
Dowry system is the cause of agony for the girl and her family. The solutions mentioned here must be taken seriously and incorporated in the system to get rid of this problem. The government and general public must join hands to eradicate this system.