Abstract
Mate selection in a Muslim society is based on marriages arranged by the families of the principals, and in this paper the function of dower, or the sum of money the bridegroom agrees to pay the bride, is examined. A sample of 1,333 marriage registrations was taken in Karachi, Pakistan, from three distinct socioeconomic areas-upper, middle, and lower class-to determine what differentials, if any, exist among them in the role that dower plays. Although there exists an arrangement for the payment of a minimum amount of dower, it was found that the upper class made the largest commitment, the lower class the smallest, with the middle class falling between the two. Dower largely functions as a form of insurance to provide a degree of economic security for the wife should the couple separate or either party seek a divorce.
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