Asian Journal of Home Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Dowry Considerations in Rural Punjab:Cause and Effect Syndrome


Affiliations
1 Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab), India
2 Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab), India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Dowry is considered to be an integral part of marriage ceremony. The present investigation was carried out in rural areas of Punjab to determine the causes and consequences of dowry in Rural Punjab. The data were collected personally from the two generations i.e. Mother-in-laws (G1) and daughter-in –laws (G2). The findings depicted that majority of motherin- laws were in the age group of 50-57 years and daughter-in-laws were in age group 26-33 years. Most of the respondents reported that dowry was important in settling of the marriage in both the generations. Majority of G1 respondents had no indication of dowry from the groom side whereas G2 respondents had complete indication of dowry before marriage. It was noted that mother-in-laws demanded the dowry in both the generations. The findings further revealed that dowry is practiced as a tradition and more land holding of groom/ bride are important factors contributing to the dowry payments. Also, a large number of G2 respondents highlighted that abroad settled groom aspire more dowries. All the respondents reported female feoticide as the main irony of dowry system. Other consequences felt by the respondents were the domestic violence, divorce, burden on the bride’s parents and ill-treatment by in-laws. Both the respondents perceived dowry as a medium to enhance status of bride in the in-laws families followed by feeling of confidence by bride after receiving dowry from parents. However, it is ironic that the cruel cultural practice has deeply enischolar_mained in marriage institution.

Keywords

Dowry, Cause, Effect Syndrome.
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Anonymous (2004). Dowry Deaths in India. The Tribune. August 4: 5-6

  • Anonymous (2013). National Crime Records Bureau. Crime against Women. Ministry of Home Affairs, NEW DELHI, INDIA.

  • Bhachu, Parminder (1985). Twice Migrants. East African Settlers in Britain.Tavistock Publications, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM Crimes in India, National Crime Records Bureau, Report, New Delhi, India, 2012.

  • Dalmia, Sonia, Lawrence, L. and Pareena, G. (2005). The Institution of Dowry in India: Why it continues to prevail. J. Developing Areas, 38 (2) : 71-93.

  • Edlund, L. (2000). The marriage squeeze interpretation of dowry inflation: Comment. J. Polit. Econ., 108 (6): 1327–1333.

  • Fruzzetti, Lina. M. (1982). The gift of a virgin: Women marriage and ritual in a Bengali society. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press.

  • Fuller, C.J. (1992). The camphor flame: Popular hinduism and society in India. Princeton University Press, New Jersey.

  • Ghadially, R. and Kurnar, Pramod (1988).Bride-burning: The psycho-social dynamics of dowry deaths, pp. 267-77 in R. Ghadially (ed.) Women in Indian Society. Sage Publications, NEW DELHI, INDIA.

  • Ghose, S. (2004). Contextualising domestic violence: Family, Community, State. In, Rinki Bhattacharya (ed.) Behind Closed Doors. New Delh, India, Sage, pp.52-65.

  • Hekmat, A. (1998).Women and the Quran: the status of women in Islam. Prometheus Books, NEW YORK, U.S.A.

  • Kaur, B. (2008). Alarming statistics. Abstracts of Sikh Studies: Jan-March. 539-40.

  • Madan, Paul (1985). Dowry and position of women in India: A study of Delhi Metropolis. Rawat Publications. NEW DELHI. INDIA.

  • Malhotra, Anshu (2002). Gender, caste and religious identities: Restructuring class in Colonial Punjab. Oxford University Press.NEW DELHI, INDIA.

  • Mandelbaum, D. (1978). Society in India. Popular Parkashan. Bombay (M.S.) INDIA.

  • Menski, Werner (1987). Legal pluralism in the Hindu marriage. In Richard Burghart (ed.) Hinduism in Great Britain. Tavistock Publications.London.pp.180-200.

  • Menski, Werner (2003). Hindu law: Beyond tradition and modernity. Oxford et al Oxford University Press (2nd Ed., 2005).

  • Myrvold, Kristina (2004). Wedding ceremonies in Punjab. In Journal of Punjab Studies, Centre for Sikh and Punjab Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, 11(2) :155 - 170.

  • Rao, V. (1993). Dowry inflation in Rural India: A statistical investigation. Population Studies, 47 : 283-293.

  • Roulet, M. (1996). Dowry and prestige in North India. Contributions Indian Sociol., 30(1): 89-107.

  • Saavala, Minna (2010). Middle-class Moralities: Everyday struggle over belonging and prestige in India. Orient Black Swan. Hyderabad (A.P.) INDIA.

  • Sharma, U. (1993). Dowry in North India: Its consequences for women. In P. Uberoi (Ed.), Family, kinship and marriage in India (pp. 341–356). Oxford: Oxford University Press

  • Srinivasan, S. (2005). Daughters or dowries? The changing nature of dowry practices in South India? World Development, 33 (4) : 593–615.

  • Talwar, Oldenburg, V. (2002). Dowry murder: The imperial origins of a cultural crime. Oxford University Press, NEW YORK, U.S.A.

  • Verma, S. (2003). Dowry Menace and Role of CSWB. J. Soc. Welfare, 3: 36-40.

  • Walia, A. (2005). Female foeticide in Punjab: Exploring the socio-economic and cultural Dimension. I. J. Soc. Work, 1 :19-21.


Abstract Views: 185

PDF Views: 0




  • Dowry Considerations in Rural Punjab:Cause and Effect Syndrome

Abstract Views: 185  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Gaganpreet Kaur
Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab), India
Lakhwinder Kaur
Department of Extension Education, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab), India

Abstract


Dowry is considered to be an integral part of marriage ceremony. The present investigation was carried out in rural areas of Punjab to determine the causes and consequences of dowry in Rural Punjab. The data were collected personally from the two generations i.e. Mother-in-laws (G1) and daughter-in –laws (G2). The findings depicted that majority of motherin- laws were in the age group of 50-57 years and daughter-in-laws were in age group 26-33 years. Most of the respondents reported that dowry was important in settling of the marriage in both the generations. Majority of G1 respondents had no indication of dowry from the groom side whereas G2 respondents had complete indication of dowry before marriage. It was noted that mother-in-laws demanded the dowry in both the generations. The findings further revealed that dowry is practiced as a tradition and more land holding of groom/ bride are important factors contributing to the dowry payments. Also, a large number of G2 respondents highlighted that abroad settled groom aspire more dowries. All the respondents reported female feoticide as the main irony of dowry system. Other consequences felt by the respondents were the domestic violence, divorce, burden on the bride’s parents and ill-treatment by in-laws. Both the respondents perceived dowry as a medium to enhance status of bride in the in-laws families followed by feeling of confidence by bride after receiving dowry from parents. However, it is ironic that the cruel cultural practice has deeply enischolar_mained in marriage institution.

Keywords


Dowry, Cause, Effect Syndrome.

References