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.[1] 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. Dowry is an ancient custom, and its existence may
well predate records of it.

History
Originally, the purpose of a dowry was to provide "seed money" or property for the
establishment of a new household, to help a husband feed and protect his family, and to
give the wife and children some support if he were to die.[2] A husband thus had certain
property rights in his wife's dowry. In addition, the wife might bring to the marriage
property of her own, which was not included in the dowry and which was, as a result,
hers alone. This property was "beyond the dowry" (Greek: parapherna, the root of
paraphernalia) and was known as paraphernal property or extra-dotal property.[3]

Even in the oldest available records, such as the Code of Hammurabi, the dowry is
described as an already-existing custom. Regulations surrounding the custom include: 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. 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.[4]

One of the basic functions of a dowry has been to serve as a form of protection for the
wife against the possibility of ill treatment by her husband and his family.[citation needed] In
other words, the dowry provides an incentive to the husband not to harm his wife.

[edit] In Europe
Dowry was widely practiced in Europe. In Homeric times, the usual Greek practice was
to give a brideprice. Dowries were 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.

Failure to provide a customary, or agreed-upon, dowry could cause a marriage to be

called off. William Shakespeare made use of such an event in King Lear: one of
Cordelia's wooers ceased to woo her on hearing that King Lear will give her no dowry. In
Measure for Measure, Claudio and Juliet's premarital sex was brought about by their
families' wrangling over dowry after the betrothal. Angelo's motive for forswearing his
betrothal with Mariana was 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. Gioachino 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.[5]

One common penalty for the kidnapping and rape of an unmarried woman was that the
abductor or rapist had to provide the woman's dowry. Until the late 20th century this was
sometimes called wreath money, or the breach of promise. (See raptio and bride
kidnapping.)

Providing dowries for poor women was regarded as a form of charity by wealthier
parishioners. 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. As the
French crown provided dowries for many of the women persuaded to travel to New
France for marriages and settlement there, they were known as filles du roi (daughters of
the king).

In some parts of Europe, especially Eastern Europe, land dowries were common. In the
County of Bentheim, for instance, parents who had no sons might give a land dowry to
their new son-in-law. It was commonly given with the condition that he take the surname
of his bride, in order to continue the family name.

The Domostroy, a Russian advice book of the sixteenth century for upper classes,
includes advice to set aside property for purposes of a dowry, and use it accumulate
linens, clothings, and other things for it, rather than have to suddenly buy it all for the
wedding; if the daughter should happen to die, the dowry should be used to give alms and
for prayers for her soul, although some might be set aside for other daughters.[6] In late
Tsarist Russia, among the , the dowry originally consisted of clothing for the bride, linen,
and bedding.[7] Linen became less common, a fact blamed on poor flax harvest and girls
being poor spinners, but emphasis was added to the finest of the clothing, and a money
dowry was sometimes added, particularly if the bride was regarded as having some fault.
[8]
Prospective in-laws, usually concerned mostly with her working ability, grew more
concerned about a money dowry.[9]

The Portuguese crown gave two cities as dowry to the British Crown in 1661 when King
Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland married Catherine of Braganza, a princess of
Portugal. They were Mumbai (Bombay) in India and Tangier in Morocco.

In Victorian England, dowries were seen among the upper class as an early payment of
the daughter's inheritance. Only daughters who had not received their dowries were
entitled to part of the estate when their parents died. If a couple died without children, the
woman's dowry was returned to her family.[10]
In some cases, nuns were required to bring a dowry when joining a convent.[11]

[edit] In Asia
Dowry is a common practice in many Asian countries, including Bangladesh, India,
Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In India, where incidents of bride burning and dowry death
acquired notoriety, the payment of a dowry has been prohibited under The 1961 Dowry
Prohibition Act in Indian civil law and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498a of the
Indian Penal Code (IPC).

[edit] In India

Karnataka Forum for Dignity poster in Bangalore, India

Dowry in the upper classes is also popular as Trousseau that is given away to the bride to
wish her luck and help her settle into her new home using goods of utility, luxury.
Electronic items like refrigerators, television and washing machines are given by the
bride's parents as part of a ceremony along with clothes, jewelry, shoes and accessories.
There is a huge industry around Indian weddings for the privileged and rich who spend
money on gifting these items with fanfare and pompous show. In fact, the art of gift
packing is called Trousseau Packing. Dowry system is seen as a crime in India but even
the most educated people in Indian society support it and harass brides for not satisfying
dowry demands.[12]In recent years there allegedly has been a rise in dowry deaths even
when law enforcing organizations claim that the situation is under control.[13][14]

[edit] Bride burning

Main article: Bride burning

Bride-burning is a form of domestic violence endemic to Bangladesh and India. A
category of dowry death, bride-burning occurs when a young woman is murdered by her
husband or his family for her family's refusal to pay additional dowry. The woman is
typically doused with kerosene, gasoline, or other flammable liquid, and set alight,
leading to death by fire.[15]

Virendra Kumar and Sarita Kanth point out that bride burning has been recognized as an
important public health problem in India.[16] They say that it is a historical and cultural
issue accounting for around 600-750 deaths per year in India alone.[16] In 1995 Time
Magazine reported that dowry deaths in India increased from around 400 a year in the
early 1980s to around 5,800 a year by the middle of the 1990s.[17] A year later CNN ran a
story saying that every year police receive more than 2,500 reports of bride burning.[18]

Dowry in India
Definition Of Dowry :- Dowry or Dahej is the payment in cash or/and kind by the
bride's family to the bridegroom' s family along with the giving away of the bride
( called Kanyadaan) in Indian marriage . Kanyadanam is an important part of
Hindu marital rites. Kanya means daughter, and dana means gift.

Dowry originated in upper caste families as the wedding gift to the bride from her
family. The dowry was later given to help with marriage expenses and became a
form of insurance in the case that her in-laws mistreated her. Although the dowry
was legally prohibited in 1961, it continues to be highly institutionalized. The
groom often demands a dowry consisting of a large sum of money, farm animals,
furniture, and electronics.

The practice of dowry abuse is rising in India. The most severe in “bride burning”, the
burning of women whose dowries were not considered sufficient by their husband or in-
laws. Most of these incidents are reported as accidental burns in the kitchen or are
disguised as suicide. It is evident that there exist deep rooted prejudices against women
in India. Cultural practices such as the payment of dowry tend to subordinate women in
Indian society.

Though prohibited by law in 1961, the extraction of DOWRY from the bride's
family prior to marriage still occurs. When the dowry amount is not considered
sufficient or is not forthcoming, the bride is often harassed, abused and made
miserable. This abuse can escalate to the point where the husband or his family
burn the bride, often by pouring kerosene on her and lighting it, usually killing
her. The official records of these incidents are low because they are often
reported as accidents or suicides by the family. In Delhi, a woman is burned to
death almost every twelve hours . The number of dowry murders is increasing. In
1988, 2,209 women were killed in dowry related incidents and in 1990, 4,835
were killed . It is important to reiterate that these are official records, which are
immensely under reported. The lack of official registration of this crime is
apparent in Delhi, where ninety percent of cases of women burnt were recorded
as accidents, five percent as suicide and only the remaining five percent were
shown as murder .

According to Government figures there were a total of 5,377 dowry deaths in

1993, an increase of 12% from 1992. Despite the existence of rigorous laws to
prevent dowry-deaths under a 1986 amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC),
convictions are rare, and judges (usually men) are often uninterested and
susceptible to bribery. Recent newspaper reports have focused on the alarming
rate of deaths of married women in Hamirpur, Mandi and Bilaspur districts in the
state of Himachal Pradesh.