Dowry System Essay

In India, dowery (Hindi , Dahja) is the pay ment in cash or some kind of gifts given to a bridegrooms family along with the bride. Generally, they let in cash, jewellery, electrical appliances, furniture, bedding, crockery, utensils and different mob items that help the newlywed set up her home.Wedding gifts of the watchword of the imam of Delhi India with soldiers and 2000 guests The destiny ashes is thought to hurtle great financial burden on the brides family. It has been cited as unrivaled of the reasons for families andwomen in India resorting to waken selection in favor of sons. This has distorted the sex ratio of India (940 cleaning ladyishs per thousand males) and may experience given rise to female foeticide. The payment of a dower has been prohibited under The 1961 Dowry parapet Act in Indian civil law and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498a of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Contents1 Prevalence2 Laws3 neighborly factors4 Economic factors5 Domestic force rule5.1 tangible abuse5.2 Emotional abuse5.3 Murder6 recognize likewise7 References8 impertinent linksPrevalenceThe trends regarding luck in India vary across the nation.6 Over the brave out few decades, in that respect has been an observed transition from the brideprice system, where wealth flows from the groom to the brides family, to the percentage system where wealth flows in the opposite direction. tally to studies, aras in south India give birth traditionally practiced the brideprice system, even amongupper castes. In the north, societal differences in conjugation led upper castes to practice a luck system, while in lower classes brideprice was more common.Wedding Procession- Bride Under a weedopy with Gifts. Circa 1800 In the last 100 years, the component system has taken oer the brideprice system, and the existing dowry system is becoming more entrenched in cultures that have practiced it traditionally. According to research, brideprice has been declining si nce the beginning of the 20th century, and today rattling little is legato in practice. Rather, dowry has been growing both in families participating and in cost across India. Studies show there are to a fault variations on dowry prevalence based on geography and class. States in the north are more apt(predicate) to participate in the dowry system among all classes, and dowry is more likely to be in the form of material and personal chattel goods.5 In the south, the brideprice system is exempt more likely, and is more ofttimes in the form of land, or other inheritance goods. This system is tied to the social structure of marriage, which keeps marriage deep down or close to family relations.5 Dowry also varies by class, or caste, in India. Upper-class families are more likely to engage in the dowry system than the lower class. This could be in part due to womens economic exclusion from the labor market in upper classes. Laws perk also Dowry law in IndiaDowry became prohibited by law in 1961 with the purpose of prohibiting the demanding, giving and taking of dowry. Although providing dowry is il jural, it is still common in many parts of India for a conserve to taste a dowry from the wifes family, in some cases star to extortion or hysteria against the wife. To stop offences of cruelty by the husband or his relatives against the wife, section 498A was added to the Indian Penal Code and section 198A to the Criminal modus operandi Code in 1983. Section 498A has been criticised by many in India as be prone to misuse. The law was challenged in court, but upheld by the dictatorial Court of India in 2005. Social factorsSocial changes across time have contributed to the modern dowry system inIndia. Some of the social factors influencing dowry include tradition, increased womens rights, and the marriage squeeze, which is the shortage of legal men for marriage. Tradition is certainly one explanation given by scholars to address the prevailing dowry system. One aspect of this is the structure and phylogenetic relation of marriage in parts of India. In the north, marriage usually follows a patrilocal (lives with husbands family) system, where the groom is a non-related member of the family. This system encourages dowry perhaps due to the exclusion of the brides family after marriage as a form of premortem inheritance for the bride. In the south, marriage is more often conducted within the brides family, for example with close relatives or cross-cousins, and in a closer physical distance to her family. In addition, brides may have the faculty to inherit land, which makes her more valuable in the marriage, decreasing the chance of dowry all over the bride price system. In addition to marriage customs that may influence dowry, social customs or rituals, and parents expectations of dowry are all important(p) factors to consider.Several studies show that while postures of people are changing nigh dowry, the institution has changed ve ry little, and even continues to prevail. In a study conducted by Rao (1980), 75% of students responded that dowry was non important to marriage, but 40% of their parents likely judge dowry. The social and traditional influence on dowry is not to be neglected. While India has been making progress for womens rights, women continue to be subject of their family and husband. Womens education, income, and health are some signifi behindt factors that play into the dowry system, and for how much control a woman has over her marriage. According to data, India still limits womens social interactions, and restricts economic and social rights. In addition, the dialect and financial burden of the dowry system may impart to son preference, which thunder mug lead to a skewed sex ratio (see also the economic factors and internal ferocity sections). Lastly, there is a strong careen given for the marriage squeeze trend for dowry. This theory explains that increased birthrate coupled with d ecreased mortality has ca utilise a shortage of eligible men has declined, raising the dependence on and cost of dowry. This increases womens competition in the marriage market, and decreases their value compared to other brides, unless dowry is competitive. According to Rao (1993), theseconditions will be less critical as marriage age increases for women, and pressure to find a mate declines.Indian weddings lavatory be lavish events that faecal matter last multiple days Economic factorsThere are many economic factors that contribute towards the system of dowry. Some of these include inheritance systems and the brides economic status. Because female-based inheritance was not legal in India until law reforms in the 1950s, dowry may have begun as a form of legal inheritance for daughters. The system would give women economic and financial pledge in their marriage in the form of movable goods. This helped prevent family wealth break-up and provided security to the bride at the same time. This system john also be used as a premorteminheritance, as once a woman is presented with movable gifts, she may be cut off from the family estate.The act of bidding valedictory to ones own family members as the bride leaves her home and steps into that of her husbands is often an emotional one However, as the system evolved, dowry has become a greater financial burden on the family, and screw leave families destitute based on the demands from the groom. According to research do by Heyer (1992) and Srinivasan (2005), the amount of gold demanded as dowry has increased from virtually five pavun (1 Pavun= 8 grams) in 1930 to 100 or more pavun in 2000. The increase in dowry prices has immense implications on families and on women in Indian society including physical and emotional abuse, rack up, and sex selective stillbirth and infanticide (see Domestic delirium section). Another factor affecting dowry is the brides economic status. When a brides family is from a upper cl ass (or caste), the family is expected to pay more for her dowry, and provide a grand display of wealth. This can be detrimental to a brides wedding prospects if the family cannot afford the dowry, and can lead to some women either being forced into an unfavorable marriage or not marrying at all.Women in higher castes are also sometimes not expected to contribute financially to the family she enters, besides household work, which may cause the prevalence of dowry over brideprice.Domestic violenceDowry is considered a major contributor towards observed violence against women in India. Some of these offences include physical violence, emotional abuses, and even tally of brides and girls. topic Crime Records in India reported approximately 6,0007,000 dowry-related deaths every year and rough 43,00050,000 cases of mental and physical torture over the years from 1999-2003, indicating that violence and dowry are a serious national concern. Physical abusePhysical violence against women has been a growing concern in India over the last few decades. Recently married women can be a posterior for dowry related violence, because she is tied economically and socially to her new husband. As discussed in previous sections on social and economic factors, dowry can undermine the importance of women in society, which might lead to further domestic violence, because dowry may contribute to womens inferior status in her family and in her culture. In addition, there are studies indicating dowry as a threat, or hostage type situation, in order to attain greater funds from the brides family. This can be seen in young (and often pregnant) brides, who are most vulnerable in the situation.16 This type of stuation can come to pass with the threat or occurrence of violence, so that the brides family is left with no choice but to give more dowry to protect their daughter. In these cases, the husband and his family hold immense power, while the bride is left powerless this can lead to murder and suicide. The areas of the greatest observed dowry related violence is in the Indian statesof Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Emotional abuseThe impact of dowry can leave a woman helpless and desperate, which can cumulate in emotional trauma and abuse. Brides are often considered owned by their husbands, and often have very little power in the marriage, which can lead to depression and suicide. Dowry reinforces these beliefs and is considered to escalate effects of emotional trauma in a marriage. MurderThe system of dowry has also been linked to murder of young brides. Physical abuses described above can also dissolver in murder. These murders can arise due to the financial demands from a husband, or dissatisfaction of the bride from the grooms family. In addition, the concept of Bride Burning refers to the sacrificial murder of a bride who is unsatisfactory to her husband in the form of dowry. In these cases, the woman is considered a sacrifice to her husband due to her inadequacy, and is glorified as an echt woman. These cases reinforce the structured violence against women, while glorified as being purer or more sacred than a dowry death. In addition to bride murder, the institution of dowry may also reinforce sex-selective abortion and female infanticide.14 Due to the social and economic burdens of dowry, families may choose boys over girls, so that they avoid consequences of the system. This then may strengthen gendered violence and discriminatory male treatment in society. There are laws like security of Women from Domestic power Act 2005 that help to reduce domestic violence and to protect womens rights.References1. skip over up Godrej Nupur Jagruti- Dahej Ke Khilaf Ek Awaz 2. rise up toa b c Anderson, Siwan (2007). 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Jump up toa b Hackett, Michelle T. (2011). Domestic Violence against Women Statistical Analysis of Crimes acrossIndia. Journal of Comparative Family Studies 42 (2) 267288. External linksedit