“One woman dies every hour due to dowry related reasons on an average in the country” (“The Times of India”). Dowry system is profoundly an immoral custom which is dominant in India; where the family of a bride have to offer money, gold or expensive items like car, refrigerator to the groom’s family. However, dowry was considered as a traditional ritual where gifts were given to the daughter and her new family by her parents with their will. Dowry has been practiced in our societies from a very long time, even the ancient Romans used to carry out this ritual. “Romans used to exchange the gifts and dowry” (“Weddings, Marriages and Divorce”). Dowry system is becoming fatal gradually, but there are fewer people who notice the consequences of it. …show more content…
When the demand of the groom is not fulfilled, he starts to abuse his wife which includes beating, burning and murdering. A woman named Meera, a victim of dowry system reports in Pulitzer center. Varsha Ramakrishnan, a consultant in the World Bank, reported about Meera. Meera told that she was burned by her husband because her family could not pay adequate dowry (“A Broken Promise”). The increment of greediness towards money leads grooms to demand for money from their wives’ families. They give the reason that they need money to become successful, instead of becoming successful on their own. They put out their anger of not being capable on their wives. “Essentially, a man who can gain more from the potential dowry of a second marriage than from the benefits of remaining with his first wife is more likely to murder his current wife, especially if there is a low probability of conviction” (Jaggi 14).As per law, it is illegal to torture the wives’ for dowry, but due to the lack of enforcement of the law, dowry system and its violence is still prevailing in our society. Annimie Maertens, a PhD holder in applied economics and Management from Cornell University, and A.V Chari, author in RAND Corporation, stated that 93% of Indian marriages have practiced dowry system (Maertens and Chari 2). People who practiced dowry tend to be more concerned about the money they are getting rather than the bride. Wanda teays, a Department Chair of Mount St.Mary’s College, stated, “Greed for a large dowry contributes to women being murdered or driven to suicide” (34). Due to their greediness, abuses of women in those households are
The themes in the story “The Wedding Gift” are freedom, the right to choose, women power and much more. All of these themes fall into one category, which is one of the major theme in this text, “self realization”. When Kezia is told to marry an old, rich man, by the Barley’s for their own business benefit. Kezia expresses her feelings by telling Mr. Mears “My body doesn’t belong to anyone, expect for me”. This story showcases, how women were portrayed back then and even right now in some countries such as China, Afghanistan, India etc. I recently read an article, where a young girl named Priya Khan, committed a suicide in India due to a forced marriage to an old man enough to be her grandfather. Since, her family was not able to provide for her. Towards, the
The wife 's desires for a girl also can be unselfish in their eyes by saying they are protecting them from a life of poverty since they had not yet had a son who could provide their prosperity. “Dowry deaths” are also an age old tradition that is a custom for the religion. But with the heavy problem of gendercide, the government outlawed the use of a dowry. But since tradition is so heavy and rich it still happens. The families want to live up to expectations and even if it is not “required” it still looks good for a family to compensate the other in a social standing. The problem with this is that they still see females as burdens even though there is no requirement to provide a dowry. It is the age-old tradition to give a dowry that is hurting the females. The old ways need to be adapted, and the culture itself needs to understand that it is okay not to provide a dowry. This is the only way change for females can come and ensure them a success and longevity in their
“The United Nations estimates that as many as 5,000 women and girls worldwide were killed last year by family members” (Autumn, 2001). Crimes of ‘honor’ are acts of violence perpetuated typically against women who violate broader cultural standards against sexuality and marriage. When a woman violates the sexual or marital standards within a culture, her actions bring shame and dishonor and in order to eliminate the dishonor within the family, killing is the only way. “Honor killings focus on maintaining the sexual exclusiveness of women” (Barker et al, 1999). In most of the cases, honor killings are mostly present in cultures of the South Asian and Middle Eastern Islamic areas. Sadly, this culture is prevalent in some parts of the Indian society as well. “Offenses leading to ‘honor’ killings include leaving home without permission, rumors about premarital loss of virginity, accusations of flirting, and illegitimate sexual contact. These accusations also do not require the consent of the female in the act. Rape victims, for instance,...
Since upper class women did not work, their dowry balanced out the cost of keeping a wife and family. The husband used the capital to invest tin property or business, but when he died, the money was returned to his wife. The expense of a dowry led some families to marry off only one daughter, sending the others to a convent to become nuns because a nun’s dowry was much less than that of a woman who was getting married. Nuns needed to bring dowries to ensure that
“Arranging a Marriage in India” by Serena Nanda is a well written, informative article aimed at sharing the view of the Indian culture on arranged marriages and also showing how much effort is put into the process of arranging a marriage. Our own culture has evolved into accepting the fact that we are all independent individuals who could not imagine having someone else make such a significant decision for us. Serena Nanda does an excellent job of using her sources within the society as evidence of the acceptance of the arranged marriage aspect of their culture.
The first difference between American culture and Indian culture is marriage. A wedding is a great social event in our society, which establish a new bond between two individuals and families. Marriage is a joyful occasion with plenty of music, dance, partying and merrymaking. It also brings together a long-lost friends, relatives and acquaintances. In India, the parents choose the mate for their child, which is called an arranged marriage. In most cases, the bri...
The unrelenting damage for a young girl who is married prematurely is the harrowing loss of vital education. According to Executive Director of ‘Girls Not Brides’ Babatunde Osotimehin,“Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health and long-term prospects… A girl who is married as a child is one whose potential will not be fulfilled.” India faces immense poverty, where a huge vast of the population is struck with a lack of resources available and overwhelming economic gaps within the Indian social structure. Disturbing statistics show that within India, 47 percent of all Indian children are married before they are 18, despite laws enforcing the legal age for women to be 18 and men 21.
The mystery surrounding slaves among the Igbo of Eastern Nigeria, especially as regards outcasts is quite weighty, much like the fate of the Dalits of India. The reluctance of many writers, until recently, to broach this topic betrays the sensitivity of the issue. Buchi Emecheta’s bravery in tackling this topic is marred, in The Bride Price, by the rather, unwarranted death of Akunna, the heroine. Criticisms against Emecheta though apt, do not consider her positive portrayal of slaves and outcasts in her two novels, The Bride Price and The Joys of Motherhood. The incisive juxtaposition of the brutality and mediocre of the freeborn against the benevolence, affluence and influence of the so-called slaves/outcasts is the concern of this paper.
For the duration of time, society perceives men as superior, which infused to their cultural aspect in life. Society instilled male dominance to the minds of young children, imposing a role each sex must play. Girls are slaves of society, submitting to men as their master. And child brides are a perfect way to exhibit patriarchy society (Ludden). The young girl would be married off to take care of her own family, crippling them in attaining an education and getting a job. Girls were not meant to work (Radu). It is also said that the purpose of marrying off girls young was to keep their attractiveness. Roberta Radu says, “'Virginity is an "asset" that families customarily trade for substantial sums of money, so marriage is arranged as early as possible in order to preserve the girl's "desirability". Out of all of these inducements money was the biggest factor. Parents would arrange their daughter marriage due to poverty. The bride’s family would receive a dowry, basically trading girls for money. Again, girls were burdens and the parents used child marriage as a relief...
Girls all over the world are forced into marriages due to financial necessity, tradition and to ensure their future. Most of these girls married are at a young age: “One third of the world’s girls are married before the age of 18 and 1 in 9 are married before the age of 15”( “Child Marriage Facts and Figures”). The young ages of those being married reveal how crucial it is to resolve this problem. When child marriage occurs the parents of the bride usually chose the groom for their daughters; and these grooms can be three times older than the young brides. Some children are brought into the world of marriage at the of 8 or sometimes less depending on their cultural views. The following can be used to help reduce the impact of early marriage: reinforcing laws that are passed against child marriages, and providing information on contraceptives to victims of early marriage. The most efficient way of resolving the problem of child marriage is through educating the people who practice it about its adverse effects.
During the Mesopotamia period, the first ever recorded marriage contract and ceremony dates to 4000 years ago. Woman had no rights in their marriage, even the lower class had no say in marriage, and therefore wives could not divorce unless the husband asked for it. Husbands were allowed to divorce their wife if she didn’t fulfill her duties (give birth to children.) During the Mesopotamia period, marriage was not because the two people loved each other, but because of preserving power, fathers’ of ruling class would even marry off their daughters. By doing this, it allowed the families to form alliances, acquire land, and produce legitimate heirs. Future husband, and bride-to-be’s father agreed on a contract that was a price for the maiden’s hand. If the marriage did not go well, and they divorced the father-in-law was entitled to satisfaction. The contract they made, had said, that if a child was not born, the husband got...
While arranged marriages are still a common practice, and some girls believe that there are benefits from the arranged marriage, some future brides feel uncertain and scared of getting married because it would mean that they would have to leave the comfort of their home. Not only that, but it is not uncommon for the family of the groom to put extra pressure on their new daughter-in-law. Everything, including her behavior, her clothing, and her housework will be under observation. Whether or not arranged marriages are the best way to create families or find love, it is interesting to see how there is not just one way to get married.
Amanda Hitchcock. 2001. “Rising Number of Dowry Deaths in India.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Dowry system is actually the transfer of money, property and other valuable assets of bride’s family to the groom’s family on the eve of marriage. There are several reasons of prevailing dowry system in the society like Tradition of asking for dowry at the time of marriage, The greed for easy money, People also ask for dowry for maintaining
Almost every culture around the world have the idea of bringing together households in marriage. In the United States, this a coupling of two people who will start a life on their own. In India, a marriage is more than two people falling and love and getting married. Family, religion and casts play a role for the future bride and groom. The Indian culture’s weddings have different traditions when it comes to proposals, ring traditions and ceremonies not only for the couple but for the families as well.