Essay on Dowry System | Causes & Impacts of Dowry System

Dowry is a system of transfer of property, money or other valuable goods from the bride to the groom along with marriage. The dowry system is also called bride price in some countries. We can say the practice of giving money, goods, or property to a woman when she marries was an ancient custom in most parts of world but in today’s modern society it has lost its importance.

Essay on Dowry System; Impacts, Causes, Effects of Dowry

Dowry is a property or money that the parents of bride give to the groom as a condition of accepting his marriage proposal. Dowry has been a tradition in India for a long time. Basically, groom’s family pays dowry to bride’s family.

The word dowry means literally “a gift that goes away”. This explains why it has often been difficult for girls born into poverty to find husbands. They are unable to provide a good enough dowry to their future husband or his family.

Dowry system is against the legal specifications of India. Dowry is illegal according to Indian law, but still bride’s family has that right. Dowry system is against the constitution of India, but still it is prevalent in Indian society. Dowry has become a tradition that every one is forced to follow. Dowry system is against the human rights. But still it is not legally banned in India despite being illegal.

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Major Causes

Following are the main reasons of Dowry. They include;

Mindset of society :- It is the mindset of Indian society that Bride’s father has to give some property or money to Groom’s father. It is a social tradition that Bride’s family has to pay dowry for groom’s family.
Parents of bride want their daughter to get married soon :- Parents of bride want their daughter to get married as soon as possible. They think that if their daughter does not marry at a young age, they may have to face the wrath of society.
Parents never want their daughter to suffer from dowry demand :- Parents of every girl want her daughter to get married to a man who does not demand dowry. They never want their daughter to get married with a man who will torture their daughter after marriage due to dowry demand.
Parents want their daughter to marry into rich family :– Parents of every girl want her daughter to get married into a family which is rich. They think that the girl of their house will have better standard of living if she marries into rich family. They think that their daughter will suffer less in her new home if she marries into a rich family.
Parents give dowry for their own selfish reason :- Parents of every girl gives dowry to groom’s family for their own purpose. They think that if their daughter gets married into a rich family, they can get proper and timely help from her in this way.

Effects of Dowry System:

Bride’s family suffers in many ways because of dowry:- It is very common in society that either bride or her parents suffer because of dowry. This is not right to make anyone suffer, but still bride’s parents are forced to give dowry to groom’s family.
Groom suffers in many ways because of Dowry:- It is very common that the groom gets tortured by his wife or her family for more dowry. He has to face mental and physical abuse from his wife, and her family due to dowry demand.
Parents of bride suffer for their daughter: – It is very common that parents of bride get separated from groom’s family because of Dowry demands. This causes a lot of mental problem to both families and society also suffers from it.
Bride suffers in many ways because of dowry :- It is very common that bride gets tortured by her parents or groom for more dowry. This is a social problem and girls do not want to go through this torture, but still they have no option except following the family tradition.
Family members suffer in many ways: – It is also very common that because of dowry, bride’s family gets associated with Dowry Case. In this way the whole family suffers from it.
Society suffers due to Dowry system :– It is a social problem that many innocent people suffer because of dowry. This society becomes very selfish and behaves abnormally due to the evil practice of giving and taking of dowry.
Indian law suffers due to it :– It is very common that because of the dowry practice, many innocent people get involved with Dowry Cases or other law related issues. This creates a lot of mess for them and society also suffers from it.
Family breakup becomes very common:- It is very common that because of Dowry system, many families get separated due to dowry torture.

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How to Prevent Dowry?

We can try to avoid dowry in our society by following the steps given below:

Parents should not give and take Dowry :- Parents of every girl should try to keep away from this evil practice of giving and taking of dowry. They should support their daughter’s decision and they should stand against dowry demand. If she says no to dowry, then they should support her by saying yes.
Groom’s family should not ask Dowry :- Groom’s family should make it clear to bride’s family that whether they want or not, dowry will be taken from them.
Both families should sit together and make a decision about the marriage :– The two families should make a clear decision before the marriage about dowry demand. The decision should be very clear about words like “no dowry”.
Parents should play an active role to stop this evil practice of giving and taking of Dowry :- Parents should support their daughter in every step if she is facing any kind of dowry torture. They should prove that they are real parents, because now a days they are not thinking about any good for their daughter’s life.
Parents should talk to the family members :- If your daughter is facing any kind of dowry torture from her in laws, then you all together should go and make it clear to her in laws that dowry is not acceptable. You all should create a problem for them if they are still demanding dowry.
Police should take action against this evil practice of Dowry :- The police department should make an awareness program about the ill effects of the dowry system in society and inform people about it. They can take action if they find someone demanding dowry.

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Conclusion

Getting dowry is an abnormal practice in our society. It should be stopped immediately otherwise it will create a lot of mess in the society. We can not stop this evil practice by making laws, but we can make awareness about its harmful effects through mass media and take action against it through law enforcing agencies like police department.