NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Dowry

A dowry (also known as trousseau) is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage.^[1]

The opposite direction, property given to the bride by the groom, is called dower or mahr. Normally the bride would be entitled to her dowry in event of her widowhood, prior to the evolution of her dower rights; so common was this that the terms "dowry" and "dower" are sometimes confused. Dower (Lat. ... A dowry is a gift of money or valuables given by the brides family to that of the groom to permit their marriage. ... Dower (Lat. ...

The dowry should not be confused with a bride price, money or goods paid by the prospective groom to the bride's parents in exchange for her hand in marriage. Bride price also known as bride wealth or a dower is an amount of money or property paid to the parents of a woman for the right to marry their daughter. ...

It should also be distinguished from sowry, which is the money obtained by a wife by filing false dowry case against the husband and his relatives.

History

It is described in the oldest records, such as the Code of Hammurabi as a pre-existing custom, prescribing only regulations for how it was to be handled and also included regulations for a bride price. If a woman died without sons, her husband had to refund the dowry but could deduct the value of the bride price, the dowry would normally have been the larger of the sums. It marks the first record of long-lasting customs, such as the wife being entitled to her dowry at her husband's death as part of her dower, her dowry being inheritable only by her own children, not by her husband's children by other women, and a woman not being entitled to a (subsequent) inheritance if her father had provided her dowry in marriage. An inscription of the Code of Hammurabi. ... Bride price also known as bride wealth or a dower is an amount of money or property paid to the parents of a woman for the right to marry their daughter. ... Dower (Lat. ...

In Europe

In Homeric times, the usual Greek practice was to give a brideprice, and dowries were also exchanged in the later classical time (5th century BC). Ancient Romans also practiced dowry, though Tacitus notes that the Germanic tribes practiced the reverse custom of the dower. Bride price or bride wealth is an amount of money or property paid to the parents of a woman for the right to marry her. ... For other uses, see Tacitus (disambiguation). ... Dower (Lat. ...

Dowry was widely practiced in Europe at all times. In Victorian England, it was seen as an early payment of her inheritance, such that only daughters who had not received their dowry were entitled to part of the estate when their parents died, and if the couple died without children, the dowry was returned to the bride's family.^[2] redirect Victorian eramonkey ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Failure to provide a customary, or agreed-upon, dowry could call off a marriage. William Shakespeare made use of this in King Lear: one of Cordelia's wooers ceases to woo her on hearing that King Lear will give her no dowry. And in Measure for Measure, Claudio and Juliet's premarital sex was brought about by their families' wrangling over dowry after the betrothal, and Angelo's motive for forswearing his betrothal with Mariana is the loss of her dowry at sea. Folklorists often interpret the fairy tale Cinderella as the competition between the stepmother and the stepdaughter for resources, which may include the need to provide a dowry. Gioacchino Rossini's opera La Cenerentola makes this economic basis explicit: Don Magnifico wishes to make his own daughters' dowry larger, to attract a grander match, which is impossible if he must provide a third dowry.^[3] Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce (1806-1864) King Lear is a play by William Shakespeare, considered one of his greatest tragedies, based on the legend of King Lear of Britain. ... Claudio and Isabella (1850) by William Holman Hunt Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, written in 1603. ... Gustave DorÃ©s illustration for Cendrillon Cinderella (French: Cendrillon) is a popular fairy tale embodying a classic folk tale myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. ... Portrait Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 â€“ November 13, 1868)[1] was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ... La Cenerentola, ossia La bontÃ in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso by Gioacchino Rossini. ...

One common penalty for the kidnapping and rape of unmarried women was that the abductor or rapist had to provide the woman's dowry, which was until the late 20th century the wreath money, or the breach of promise. Wreath money is not a legal term, but the literal translation of German Kranzgeld, is money paid by a man to a woman as a fine on having sexual intercourse with her under the pretence of an offer of marriage which is then withdrawn. ... Breach of promise is a former tort. ...

Providing dowries for poor women was regarded as a form of charity. The custom of Christmas stockings springs from a legend of St. Nicholas, in which he threw gold in the stockings of three poor sisters, thus providing for their dowries. St. Elizabeth of Portugal and St. Martin de Porres were particularly noted for providing such dowries, and the Archconfraternity of the Annunciation, a Roman charity dedicated to providing dowries, received the entire estate of Pope Urban VII. Saint Nicholas, also known as Nikolaus in Germany and Sinterklaas (a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas) in the Netherlands and Flanders, is the common name for the historical Saint Nicholas of Myra, who lived in 4th century Byzantine Anatolia, (now in modern Turkey) and had a reputation for secret gift... Elizabeth of Portugal (1271â€“1336) was queen consort of Portugal and a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Saint MartÃn de Porres (December 9, 1579--November 3, 1639) was a Dominican cooperator brother who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized on May 6, 1962 by Pope John XXIII. Martin was born in Lima, Peru, as the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and... Pope Urban VII (August 4, 1521 â€“ September 27, 1590), born Giovanni Battista Castagna, was Pope for thirteen days in September 1590. ...

In some parts of Europe, land dowries were common. In Grafschaft Bentheim, for instance, it was not uncommon for people who had no sons to give a land dowry to their new son-in-law with the condition that the groom would take the surname of his bride. Bentheim was a County located in modern southwestern Lower Saxony, Germany. ...

In some cases, nuns would be required to bring a dowry when joining a convent. For other uses, see Nun (disambiguation). ... A Beguine convent in Amsterdam. ...

In Europe and Western culture in general it is still common for the bride's family to pay for the majority of the wedding costs.

The bestowing of dowries is an ancient Indian tradition most commonly observed in northern India but now seen across several regions of the country. It is social phenomenon originating in the upper castes of India but now pervading all socioeconomic classes. The concept of dowries originated in Brahmanical Hindu societies, more specifically, in Hindu religious orthodoxies’ caste system ^[4]. The caste system divided Hindus into several groups and classes whereby the “upper” caste held all power and the “lower” castes were subject to poverty, cruelty, etc. Many scholars, including Partha Banerjee, believe the concept of dowries arose from the ancient Hindu customs of “kanyadan” and “stridhan”. “Kanyadan” refers to a bride’s father offering the groom money or property. “Stridhan” refers to a bride receiving jewelry or clothing from friends or family at the time of marriage. Historically, both practices were voluntary expressions of love and affection, but have since become coercive and dangerous in nature ^[5].

According to Banerjee caste based Hindu marriages are sacramental and not “contractual or civic”. Marriage is regarded as “forever” and separation is not considered as a viable option. Scholars believe that the ancient Roman “conferreatio” marriage, which means “marrying a wife by capture”, is a model that Hindu marriages resemble. Initially, the family of a bride would accept gifts and money from the groom (or “conqueror”) as an alternative to bloodshed during the capturing of a bride. The dowry practice has evolved to the point today that the concept of dowries has become more of an economic strategy than a religious practice. Most dowry deaths have occurred in the upper strata of Hindu communities (the Brahmans, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas). Urban affluent upper-caste Hindu communities have witnessed the most killing of women for unpaid dowries ^[6].

In India, when a woman marries she then becomes a part of her husbands family. The family consists of her husband's parents, brothers (married or unmarried) and unmarried sisters ^[7]. This is different from customs in more westernized countries of the world where a man and woman typically begin to establish their own financial independence upon marriage. The additional financial strain an Indian woman places on her extended family obligates her family to pay a dowry. Dowries are given both prior to and after a marriage with the intention of pacifying the bride’s new family. Dowry negotiations are all made verbally, and often times the demands for gifts will increase as the wedding day nears. It is not uncommon for increasing dowry demands upon the father of the bride to cause him to fall behind in payments. Again, demands for dowry payments continue indefinitely beyond the actual wedding ^[8].

If a bride’s father fails to pay an outstanding dowry, the bride puts herself at risk for torture and abuse at the hands of her husband and in-laws. Although the bride’s life may be in jeopardy, she often has no viable options of escape.Even a bride’s own parents may express an unwillingness to take her back into their home ^[9]. The cultural importance of 'family honor' has a lot to do with the parental reluctance to help. In India, it is considered distasteful for a married daughter to return to her father's home after marriage. The tradition to uphold 'family honor' and to 'save the marriage' is so strong in India that even officials in shelter homes and police stations will try to persuade a bride to return to her abuser. Studies show that most brides are killed after they return to their husband’s home^[10] .

Generous dowries are a source of pride for a groom and his family because it, in essence, provides “bragging rights”. Economically, dowries generate an increase in household income and wealth. Dowries can potentially relieve households of ongoing economic stress. By increasing the income and wealth of the marital household an elaborate dowry likely minimizes economic and social stress experienced within a household ^[11].

Sharada Srinivasan considers dowries today as a strategy for men to acquire higher standards of material wealth, status, and security. On the other hand, dowries have almost exclusively negative consequences on women’s status, let alone their own survival Among high status families, dowries are considered an essential part of “hypergamy”, or, upward status mobility through marriage ^[12].

The practice of bride burning exhibits the growing exertion of patriarchal power and violence against women in India. The on-going dowry tradition highlights the power of gender and caste-based social and political structures. Such structures aim to continually oppress women and individuals of lower castes. Such widespread oppression allows men of the upper caste to maintain their sociopolitical power and influence over others.Partha Banerjee says, “women of India are an epitome of oppression and exploitation in the name of religion practiced by the conservative male chauvinist and social patriarchs”^[13]. Furthermore, ongoing research shows that dowries have led to the manifestation of myriad negative impacts on parenting practices. Parents may begin investing less time and resources into their daughters in order to save money for her future dowry. A study done in rural south India found that the expectation of a large dowry payment is one of the leading causes for sex selective abortion and female infanticide ^[14]. The potential burden of a dowry greatly influences parents’ decisions about the number of daughters they are willing to conceive. Data also shows that in areas where bride burning is more prevalent, the number of men outnumbers that of women when compared to areas of India where bride burning is not as commonplace.

Contents

History

In Europe

See also

References

Contents

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In Europe

See also

References

History