Dowry Menace

I Satya Sundaram

Amongst the evils facing Indian society, dowry continues to be the most obnoxious one. The situation worsened because not only there is payment of dowry, but there is harassment even after marriage. Women no doubt enjoy inheritance rights. Yet, the dowry menace has not been muzzled. Even the highly educated demand dowry.

The origin of this *book [Dowry: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice, Edited by Tamsin Bradley, Emma Tomalin & Mangala Subramanian, Women Unlimited, New Delhi, Pp. 245, Price: Rs: 350] can be traced to the Dowry Project which was established in 1995 at the International Conference on Dowry and Bride Burning at Harvard University, USA. The aim of the conference was to encourage, share and disseminate research in the areas of dowry, bride burning and son preference in South Asia. The focus of research was also on why anti-dowry campaigns have been, by and large, unsuccessful.

There is no doubt dowry is an evil. As rightly observed by Sirohi: “Dowry is a reality which often envelopes other forms of oppression. Dowry and other practices degrade women, and one is not exclusive of the other.” (p.3).

The book deals with issues like dowry in rural Bangladesh, interfaces between Gender, Religion and Dowry transactions, Legacies of the Dowry Prohibition Act in India, Dowry and Transactional Activism.
In Bangladesh, a typical rural dowry might amount to Tk 30,000 plus a TV and Jewellery. The bridegroom’s family insists a loan from the bank arranged by bride’s parents. Even the village leaders insist on payment of dowry (p, 45). Some insist bride’s parents should borrow from microfinance NGOs. (p, 48).

It is generally argued that dowry practice should not be linked to the Hindu religion, mythology and tradition. Indeed these are much older than the dowry practice (p92). The practice can be attributed to close correlation between class, caste or socio-economic position and marriage transactions (p118). Many poor families had taken loans and mortgaged their land and other assets. Ultimately, they may lose their houses too (p162).

Some people propose love marriages and the formation of nuclear families as possible means of tackling dowry problem (p, 77). It is also argued that eradication of dowry can be achieved if deeper gender inequalities that reduce women to economic commodities are also dealt with (p, 102).

Legalising property rights for women may marginalise the dowry problem, though this cannot completely eradicate the evil (p, 190). Working with local women’s organisations can bring pressure for change in gender relations (p, 220). The book throws useful light on the nuances of dowry practice.

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Frontier
Vol 55, No. 31, Jan 29 - Feb 4, 2023