short notes on dowry
Answers
In our Indian society there are numerous problems like superstitions, illiteracy, cast system and dowry system, etc.
It is surprising that even in these days of the 21th century, we are still drowned in the dark depth of these evils.
The word ‘dowry’ means the property, valuable securities, money that a bride brings to her husband’s house at the time of her marriage.
Dowry is a form of consideration (in cash or otherwise) demanded by the groom or his relatives in return for marring the to be bride.
The dowry system in India is one that involves the parents of the bride giving some form of consideration to the family of the groom. The most common forms of dowry include land, real estate property, jewellery, money, durable electronics, utensils, household appliances, and other goods that can last.
One of the worst evils of Indian Society is the dowry system. The custom of dowry is prevalent in all the sections of our society in one form or the other. At the beginning it was voluntary, but later on the social pressure was such that very few could escape from it.
The dowry system is massive problem to the bride’s parents who have to bear enormous cost to satisfy the unreasonable demands of the groom’s family. A demand of dowry does not diminish even after marriage. In some instances, even years after the marriage, the in-laws of the bride continue demanding dowry from the bride’s parents.
Marriage is an integral part of society, a source of joy and festivities as well as of new beginnings. Yet, one of the longest standing evils associated with marriage from a woman’s point of view in the Indian society is the Dowry system. Despite a lot being said and done against the custom, it is still prevalent in the 21st century, in both subtle and obvious ways. The root of a host of social atrocities against women, the custom of presenting dowry is the crudest expression of the male-dominance in the society. It is most often the mandatory custom of a girl’s parents having to provide a considerable amount of cash, gold in the form of jewelry, electronic equipment, movable or immovable properties, to the groom and his family, at the time of marriage. Although the origin of the custom lies with parents trying to assure financial stability for their daughters, in current perspective it has translated into parents paying up for the assurance of well-being of their daughters. The jewelry and cash that a bride brings with her from her parents’ house is often referred to as “Streedhan” and in theory is the property of the girl, but in reality it is often treated as their rightful due by the groom’s family. The sum to be paid as dowry has no set standard, the yardstick greatly depends on the groom’s profession/social standing and is often perceived as the groom’s family as the compensation of efforts they have made to educate their boy. In a more subtle perspective, one may define this custom as the unquestioned idea that the girl’s family is inferior in standing with the boy’s family, no matter what her qualities are. Thus they need to be on their best behavior and offer lavish “gifts” to please the boy’s family. This ideal is so ingrained in the psyche of a large number of Indians, they either practically ruin themselves financially in order to pay for the appropriate price of the chosen groom, or make a bid to eradicate the prospect of this financial burden by selective gender-biased abortion or female infanticide.This exploitative system that has turned the custom of giving gifts and well wishes into a compulsory demand for money, respect and subjugation, is the one of the major contributing factors hindering the growth of the Indian society where being a woman is still viewed synonymous to being a burden.
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