Why dowry is still prevalent in our society

Why dowry is still prevalent in our society?

(By Rounakshi Dey ) 

Image By:- Kanishka Sharma

“The dowry, not the wife, is the object of attraction.” Dowry system is an age-old tradition in India and prevalent across all religions and castes alike. The dowry system in India refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the bridegroom, his parents, or his relatives as a condition of the marriage. Though the tradition is very old and we have laws against this tradition, but unfortunately, it still prevails in our Nation. Previously it was thought that the uneducated people demanded dowry from their in-laws. But a number of rising cases of murder or forced suicide among reputable families have put a hold on this idea. The Dowry system is deep rooted in our society. In order to protect the bride’s family, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 was passed by the Supreme Court. This law declared dowry a punishable offense and could lead to imprisonment. Though this law has been modified later, making the punishment more stringent, yet it failed to stop the dowry system for good.

Why did this start and keeps on continuing?

This tradition started due to the patriarchal mindset of our society. Girls were treated as burdens whereas, the birth of a baby boy was greeted with a lot of happiness. The parents were proud once a boy was born while the mother of the newborn baby girl was shammed by society. It began then. The girl’s father knew that he had to pay a heavy amount of dowry in order to get his daughter married. The younger the girl was, the lesser was the amount of dowry. Hence, child marriage was the norm of those days in order to save the dowry. The parents of the groom thought that it was their right to ask for dowry after all they were accepting a girl in the family. Girls were never treated as human beings, but as commodities or a burden. She was sold off to the boy’s family along with the dowry. Rate cards were made by the groom’s family according to their status in the society. To get a groom of higher status, the dowry amount was increased. Hence, once a girl was born, the father got busy saving money for her marriage rather than her education. Female education lagged behind due to this custom. 

This custom did not stop then. Even if we have progressed a lot and have gotten educated, this system does not seem to stop. Even today, the groom’s family directly demands dowry before marriage and the bride’s father meekly accepts because he knows without the dowry no family would accept their daughter. Even the young generation does not protest against this system. The boys think it is their right to get dowry. This system continues even after marriage. A continuous inflow of cash is demanded from the girl’s family. If the girl fails to bring in more cash, she is brutally tortured to a point that she is forced to commit suicide or she is murdered and the case is framed as a suicide. The boy marries again and this tradition continues. The girl’s family hardly gets justice due to the immense number of dowry cases pending in our police stations and court. 

Changing faces of Dowry System:

The Dowry system has evolved with time. Though the basic rule of asking for money, jewellery, and expensive gifts remain the same, but the way in which it is demanded from the girl’s family has changed. In the rural areas, the groom’s family directly asks for the dowry from the bride’s family. The direct way of asking for dowry has not changed in the rural areas. But the dowry system has changed for the educated families in the urban areas. Instead of directly asking for money, the name ‘gift’ is attached to the dowry system. The groom’s family politely asks the bride’s family about the amount of gift the bride’s family is going to provide as a token of blessing to the newly married couple. The groom’s family argues that the gift is for the secure future of the couple and hence cannot be labeled as dowry. But if the girl arrives without any ‘gift’, she is taunted by all, tortured after marriage and ultimately murdered or forced to commit suicide. Hence, though the terms attached to dowry changes, the basic tradition does not seem to change.

India is a religious country where we worship different Goddesses. Yet, hypocritically, we practice female infanticide, ask for dowry, treat her as a burden, and ultimately kill her when she is unable to bring in more money. This is our country where traditions are so deeply rooted that legally we are unable to get rid of it. Girls need to be treated at par with boys. The gender discrimination needs to end. Only when people are conscious about the crime, this will stop. Awareness needs to be spread against gender discrimination. Girls are not burdens, they are gifts for the parents. Let us all join our hands together to spread this awareness and stop this heinous crime against girls. Let us march forward towards a new India!!

 

Disclaimer:-

The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.