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A dowry is a payment, such as land property, monetary, cattle or any commercial asset that is paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment by the groom, or his family, to the bride, or her family, dowry is the wealth transferred from the bride, or her family, to the groom, or his family. Similarly, dower is the property settled on the bride herself, by the groom at the time of marriage, and which remains under her ownership and control.[1]
Traditionalist dowry is an ancient custom that is mentioned in some of the earliest writings, and its existence may well predate records of it. Dowries continue to be expected and demanded as a condition to accept a marriage proposal in some parts of the world, mainly in parts of Asia.[2][3][4] The custom of dowry is most common in strongly patrilineal cultures that expect women to reside with or near their husband's family (patrilocality).[5] Dowries have long histories in Europe, South Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world.[5]
- ^ Goody 1976, p. 8.
- ^ "India's dowry deaths". BBC. 16 July 2003. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
- ^ "Understanding and addressing violence against women" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-07.
- ^ "Combating Acid Violence in Bangladesh, India, and Cambodia" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-12-24.
- ^ a b "dowry | marriage custom". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2015-10-14.