The Dowry Prohibition Act changed the position of women in India. Discuss in favor of or against the statement.
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Answer:
The query and subsequent conversation triggered the feminist in me, to once again question the sexist and regressive practice of dowry and the ineffectual law-the Dowry Prohibition Act enacted in the year 1961, amended twice in 1984 and 1986 and also supplemented by The Dowry Prohibition (Maintenance of Lists of Presents to the Bride and Bridegroom) Rules, 1985.
Dowry culture is endemic to Indian, more specifically Hindu marriages, who seek to find a socio-cultural validation for the same in the ancient concepts of Kanyadaan and Varadakshina. Post-independence, we have a Constitution that declares all persons to be equal and forbids discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, sex etc. If girls are equal to boys, if they are independent persons with the same rights and duties as available to boys, then how can we sustain a custom that allows girls to be gifted away in marriage? Is she some property that can be given away?
Dowry is a decadent practice that has been institutionalized by our society. There are many factors that influence dowry. Region, caste, education, looks, height, skin tone etc. Physical and mental compatibility are the least of concerns while fixing matches in a society obsessed with old practices. For them, if anything is to be matched, it is the horoscope, and the social as well as economic status of the families of the bride and groom. Education, which is supposed to be a tool for empowerment works the other way around. It increases the groom’s price whereas the girl’s parents have to struggle to find a more educated boy that means shelling out more money. A well-placed girl needs a better or at least an equally well-placed groom. Its commonplace to adjunct a girl’s short height, lack of education or darker skin tone by raising the groom price. In a society that insists on an older, taller, more educated and better placed groom and also where the girl has to leave her house and stay with the boy and his family, if there are any differences, as are inevitable in any relationship, the girl for obvious reasons finds herself in a disadvantageous position.
Dowry is a social malaise, one that can be tackled by the society alone. Social boycott and public shaming of people who give and take dowry has to be the first step. We should refuse to be part of any wedding that encourages dowry. Absence of those who appreciate and applaud would demotivate people from splurging on weddings. Educating and empowering girls to take a stand for themselves as well as their parents is another step in this direction. We need to spend money on educating our children, making them self -reliant and independent. The colossal spend on marriage decorations, photo shoots, feasts and presents has to give way to saner means of celebrating the union of two people. Instead of laws, it would be better for the judiciary to issue guidelines towards regulation of expenditure at weddings; keep amending an
Answer:
The Government of India passed the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and ... The changes in social structure and organization in later ... the status of women, and the sanctity of marriage.