Page 113 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Unit 15: Bride-Wealth and Dowry

7. Mismatch Marriage: In lack of dowry, a beautiful girl is also married to an old, uneducat- Notes
ed, ugly, handicapped or disable person. In this way the girl has to face problems through-
out her life.
8. End of Marriage: In lack of dowry, many persons divorce their wife. Sometimes the proces-
sion returns from the arched gateway in lack of dowry and some girls has to live without
marriage.
9. Immorality: In lack of dowry, many girls are not married for a long period and they fulfill
their sexual needs in immoral way which leads to corruption.
10. Encouragement to Crime: To gather money for dowry many crimes are also done, like
bribe, theft or embezzlement etc. which leads to suicide and corruption.
11. Mental Diseases: Parents always remain worried about gathering money for dowry for
their daughters. Due to worry in parents and girls many mental diseases take birth.
12. Low Position of Girls: Due to dowry the social position of the girls get declined and their
birth is considered an ill omen.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. In lack of dowry, many _________ are not married even so late which leads to their social
insult.
2. When the quantity of dowry doesn’t meets to the ___________ then sometimes the daugh-
ter-in-law is burnt alive.
3. The _________ matters of dowry death are registered in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West
Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

Merits of Dowry

Some people argue in favour of dowry as following:
1. Ugly girls are also getting married due to dowry.
2. Due to dowry the marriage of girls take place lately and so prevent child marriage.
3. In lack of dowry the parents put their daughter to study in their late ages, which increases
the women education.

Suggestions to end Dowry System
Dr Altekar has written that this is the suitable period for Hindu Society to stop the polluted cus-
tom of dowry which made many innocent girls to suicide. To stop this, following suggestions
can be given-
1. Women Education: Women education should be development widely so that they become
self-depend after getting educated. Due to this their economic dependency on men will
come to an end and as a result the necessity of marriage will be not there also.
2. Independency in Selection of Life-Mate: If boys and girls has liberty to select their own life-
mate; the dowry system will come to an end itself.
3. Love-Marriage: Acknowledged of love marriages in the society will end the dowry system.
4. Inter-caste Marriage: If there is liberty for inter-caste marriage there will be wider scope
for marriage. As a result, the dowry system will come to an end.

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