Dowry Essay

1251 Words6 Pages
Introduction and History of Dowry A dowry is money, property, or goods that a woman brings as a gift to her husband upon marriage. In Details, A dowry (also known as trousseau or tocher or, in Latin, dos) is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both dowry and bride price. In other words, originally a dowry was an offering by the bride’s family to the groom’s family to start to facilitate their marriage and to support them when things are rough ,but as time progressed it became an evil system where the groom’s family leeches money, estate or other goods from the bride’s family and if the latter did not produce the required dowry the bride would be subject to torture and possibly even killed. Dowry is an ancient custom, and its existence may well predate records of it The practice of using a dowry is a custom that has been around for centuries and was most commonly practiced in Europe, Asia, and Africa and even in Bangladesh. Dowry continues to thrive in Bangladesh . Even among the educated sections of society, dowry continues to form an essential part the negotiations that take place in an arranged marriage. During the marriage ceremony the articles comprising the dowry are proudly displayed in the wedding hall. Dowry is still very much a status symbol. A number of marriage-negotiations break down if there is no consensus between the bride's and groom’s families. Dowry deaths of a newly married bride are still regularly heard and written in Newspapers as well. In Asian countries especially where incidents of bride burning and dowry death acquired notoriety, and thus payment of a dowry has been prohibited. The custom
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