Dowry and Its Consequences

Dowry refers to any property or valuable security given directly or indirectly to the parents and family of the bridegroom. In other words, the property in terms of cash or kind that a bridegroom receives from his wife or her family at the time of marriage is called ‘dowry’.

While fixing marriage both the parties place their conditions like a business agreement. Thus, it appears like selling things to one another. This harms the purity of marriage as it creates hatred and conflict between the relationships of the families.

If the marriage is broken due to lack or non-payment of dowry, parents of the girl feel ashamed and taunted in society. Many times such poor parents find no other option and commit suicide. Even daughters of such parents find it depressing and out of helplessness and frustrations commit suicide.

Under the hopes of gaining more amount of dowry, the bridegroom’s family physically and mentally harass the bride. They threat her to kill or burn alive. Some girls choose illegal ways to earn money for dowry by indulging themselves in immoral activities or keeping illegal physical relationships with men.

Due to dowry, women have to face several other problems such as denial of the birth of female child, mismatched marriages, female foeticide and infanticide, child marriage, etc. Several people have a tendency of not welcoming the birth of a female child because they have to collect dowry for her marriage. Such parents prefer to kill female foetus before birth.

Some parents have to mortgage their house, property, etc. to meet the demands of dowry. They have to undergo several physical, mental and economic tensions. A parent having many daughters is ruined by paying dowry amounts during the time of each daughter’s marriage.

In some cases, against their will, girls have to marry old, sick and widower because their parents have nothing to offer as dowry. Parents sacrifice or sell their daughters to rich people or agents making their lives miserable.

There are parents who feel that if their daughter takes higher education they will have to search highly educated bridegroom and pay him higher amount of dowry. Poor parents, who cannot afford to send their daughters to school, ask them to work and earn money for paying dowry. Some parents save money for dowry by avoiding money on food and other likings and needs of their daughters. Out of frustration in collecting the dowry amount, some parents do not treat their daughters well. They harass, taunt and humiliate them.

The desire to have bigger dowry has increased to the extent that bridegroom and his family dares to kill or burn the bride if they do not receive the expected dowry. Thus, both married girls and their parents remain in constant fear.