Practice Of Dowry Research Articles

2018 Simultaneous Regional Head Elections: Political Dowry and Policy Implication

According to previous studies, political dowry was practiced in the 2018 simultaneous regional head elections as found in several cases although policies on the prohibition of rewards have been adopted. This is regrettable because political dowry has fairly destructive impacts. For instance, the local governments formed after the elections will have the potential to be corrupt. This study aims to analyze potential political dowry practices in the 2018 regional head elections, their factors, and the policy implication. The research method used in this study is a qualitative approach with a descriptive content analysis on some secondary data. This study found that potential political dowry practices had occurred in the 2018 regional head elections as found in several cases but were difficult to prove by regulations. The factors of a political dowry practice are three elements as involved in any transactional activity, i.e. seller (political party), buyer (prospective regional head candidate), and system (electoral system). The policy implication is to integrate Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections, Law No. 10 of 2016 concerning Regional Head and Deputy Regional Head Elections, and Law No. 2 of 2011 concerning Political Parties with reinforcement in several aspects, such as the appointment of an independent institution to be permanently responsible for the financial management of political parties, the system with fair, affordable, and accountable opportunities to attain political leadership positions, the rationalization of political finance, the verification of political parties to support participation in simultaneous regional head elections, the reinforcement of information systems in the financial management of political parties, and the reinforcement of the role and independence of the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) in handling political dowry practices in regional head elections.

Women, development, caste, and violence in rural Bihar, India

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the contradictions that exist between economic development and gender equity in India. It deploys concepts of cultural violence and symbolic hegemony to understand how gender and caste-based violence is normalized and institutionalized over time through cultural norms. It also uses an intersectional lens to examine the layers of marginalization and oppression. Based on field studies in rural Bihar, it shows that despite development gains, old forms of gender-based discrimination and violence such as son-preference, dowry, witch-hunting, and discriminatory practices associated with menstruation persist. It notes that there are new forms of violence used by the upper caste groups against the lower ones when the latter resist and refuse to continue performing traditional caste-based tasks. We argue that this refusal by lower caste women can be seen as symbolic resistance against historically defined norms of caste. The emerging patterns of violence discussed in the paper need a more concerted and nuanced exploration of reconfigurations of relations within and between caste groups, as well as the cultural and social contexts in which changes are taking place.

THE PRACTICE OF DOWER AND DOWRY IN MUSLIM MARRIAGE IN BANGLADESH: A LEGAL ANALYSIS

Dower and dowry have become two common terms of Muslim marriage in Bangladesh. Dower is an exclusive right of Muslim wife to receive a part of the husband’s income at any time after marriage. Though it enhances the status and security of the Muslim, there is a situation where a wife does not receive dower from husband due to various socio-legal reasons. Moreover, there is a situation where a woman loses her legal rights of dower while she is entitled under both the Shariah and statutory laws. Then, there is an occurrence where a woman and her family become the victims of dowry practice by the husband even though it is un-Islamic. Nevertheless, there are some challenges to recover the dower but a dowry victim does not receive justice from laws and tradition. The article analyses the challenges of woman’s right for dower practice under the Shariah and Statutory laws and the impact of the traditional practice of dowry offer some suggestions for improving the family justice in Bangladesh.

THE PRACTICE OF DOWER AND DOWRY IN MUSLIM MARRIAGE IN BANGLADESH: A LEGAL ANALYSIS

Dower and dowry have become two common terms of Muslim marriage in Bangladesh. Dower is an exclusive right of Muslim wife to receive a part of the husband’s income at any time after marriage. Though it enhances the status and security of the Muslim, there is a situation where a wife does not receive dower from husband due to various socio-legal reasons. Moreover, there is a situation where a woman loses her legal rights of dower while she is entitled under both the Shariah and statutory laws. Then, there is an occurrence where a woman and her family become the victims of dowry practice by the husband even though it is un-Islamic. Nevertheless, there are some challenges to recover the dower but a dowry victim does not receive justice from laws and tradition. The article analyses the challenges of woman’s right for dower practice under the Shariah and Statutory laws and the impact of the traditional practice of dowry offer some suggestions for improving the family justice in Bangladesh.

Do Practices such as Dowry and Bride Prices Relate to Violence Among Migrants in OECD countries?

This systematic review aims to make a significant contribution to knowledge on dowry and bride price practices in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, with a focus on Sudan, Zimbabwe and India. While, existing research evidences the ongoing prevalence of dowry and bride price among some migrant communities, there remains substantial gaps in research. The protocol is guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. It highlights the scope and methodology for the systematic review to be conducted. Studies will be included if they: (i) were conducted in English; (ii) if they were published between December 1993 and December 2019 because this is the period the dowry-related violence was included into the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (iii) used qualitative, quantitative methods or mixed methods; were peer reviewed or grey literature; and (iv) covered analysed dowry and bride price practices and its impact among migrant communities in the OECD countries. Data extraction will be informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute Review for Systematic Reviews and Research Syntheses. The quality of evidence of the studies included will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool for qualitative and quantitative studies, the Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, Significance (AACODS) tool for grey literature and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) tool for mixed methods studies. Kappa statistics agreement will be used as an additional step to ensure quality ratings are fair and valid. The findings will be summarised into themes and narrated.

The Dowry as a Crime in Disguise of Gifts: Evidences from Sadar and Faridganj Upazilla of Chandpur District

Dowry is a despicable affliction in society. The social evil has become a barrier for women in everysphere of life. The culture of dowry can be found not only in sub-continent but also in Europe, China,The United States, and also in African countries. A Dowry means the transfer of property by the brideor her family to the groom as an arrangement of marriage. When a bride or her family pays money orany other movable or immovable property, it is called dowry, which is also known as the bride pricein the sub-continent. Though the dowry is most common in the rural area, it cannot be said that it isabsent in cities. Instead, it is used as a disguise of gifts in women's marriage where the parents of themarriageable woman are bound to give dowry as a gift to the groom. This anathematization of dowryis increasing day by day in society. Social problems like child marriage, physical and mental abuse tothe women, divorce and even killing of women are the consequences of dowry. The government ofBangladesh has taken significant steps to eradicate this practice. The punishment for dowry-relatedcrimes is severe, which has been amalgamated in the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1980. The mostimportant step is to create consciousness among people, especially in the rural areas, to stop thepractice of dowry from the society. This study will help the practice and people of the society to goforward to abate the dowry practice.

The effect of marital endowments on domestic violence in India

Numerous studies have documented a relationship between income and wealth of a woman and domestic violence. One such factor that could potentially impact domestic violence is the gold endowment a woman receives at the time of marriage. India presents a unique setting in which to test this relationship as, despite being unlawful, both dowry practices and domestic violence continue to prevail. As actual marital endowments may endogenously affect spousal match quality, I use the deviation of the price of gold at the time of marriage from its long-term trend as a source of exogenous variation to proxy for initial marital endowment and examine its effect on domestic violence. Results show a positive and significant effect of an unusually high price of gold at the time of marriage on domestic violence.

MAKNA MAHAR DALAM ALQURAN (Kajian Historis-Antropologis)

This study discusses the meaning of dowry contextually by using a historical-anthropological approach, assuming the dowry verse does not descend in empty space, but descends in the midst of the seventh-century ignorance Arab society which already has deep-rooted traditions. Anthropologically, the meaning of the dowry tradition is inseparable from the dynamics of culture that existed at that time. The scope of this study includes four things, first, the tradition of mahr in the ignorance period, second, the dialectic of God's revelation with the dowry tradition and the third review of Tasyakkul-Tasykil Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd's theory and the fourth, anthropological studies of religion as culture with Geertz's theory model of reality and model for reality. In this study, there is a dialectic between the revelation of God and the tradition of dowry in the ignorant Arab community who consider dowry as a medium of exchange for women to be married. Alquran is present, by adopting the tradition of dowry that has been running but constructs the meaning and practice of dowry based on the world view Alquran. Alquran means dowry as a mandatory gift for proof of love and sincerity (saduqat) which is given voluntarily (nihlah) with the intention of worshiping Allah.

MAKNA MAHAR DALAM ALQURAN (Kajian Historis-Antropologis)

This study discusses the meaning of dowry contextually by using a historical-anthropological approach, assuming the dowry verse does not descend in empty space, but descends in the midst of the seventh-century ignorance Arab society which already has deep-rooted traditions. Anthropologically, the meaning of the dowry tradition is inseparable from the dynamics of culture that existed at that time. The scope of this study includes four things, first, the tradition of mahr in the ignorance period, second, the dialectic of God's revelation with the dowry tradition and the third review of Tasyakkul-Tasykil Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd's theory and the fourth, anthropological studies of religion as culture with Geertz's theory model of reality and model for reality. In this study, there is a dialectic between the revelation of God and the tradition of dowry in the ignorant Arab community who consider dowry as a medium of exchange for women to be married. Alquran is present, by adopting the tradition of dowry that has been running but constructs the meaning and practice of dowry based on the world view Alquran. Alquran means dowry as a mandatory gift for proof of love and sincerity (saduqat) which is given voluntarily (nihlah) with the intention of worshiping Allah.

Conspicuous Daughters: Exogamy, Marriage Expenditures, and Son Preference in India

The literature on son preference postulates a strong link between marriage expenditures, dowry practices, and son preference, leading to the elimination of female foetuses and important discriminatory practices against girls. This statement, however, has not, as far as I know, been tested empirically using a representative sample of the Indian population. Using data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) conducted in 2005, this paper shows that marriage expenditures by the bride’s family and dowry payments reduce stated son preference, ceteris paribus, supporting the idea that the bride’s family’s marriage expenditures and dowries are Veblen goods. The results, therefore, support the sankritisation theory, as expensive marriage practices are used to enhance social status. This result is robust to a series of robustness check, including the use of revealed son preference. The main drivers behind son preference appear to be exogamy and the need for old age support. Other important factors are religious beliefs and access to modern information (education and media). Finally, this article also shows that lavish marriage expenditures, for both groom’s and bride’s family, reduce fertility.

Greek Influences on Roman Dowry Law

ABSTRACTClassical and Hellenistic Greek laws and dowry practices were generally more progressive and provided more protections for wives than early Roman marriage law and practice. Roman dowry law then witnessed a series of significant developments over the course of the republic, beginning with the time when the Romans were coming into increased contact with Greek culture. Changes in social attitudes towards the conditions for women in marriage, their ability to control their dowries, and their right to own property, seem to have been responsible for these transformations in Roman family law. As Romans became increasingly Hellenized, their dowry and marriage practices in general came to resemble patterns prevailing in the Greek world, perhaps as a result of individuals’ emulation of Greek laws and customs. The shift from the overall predominance of marriage in manu to marriage sine manu may therefore be explained partly by influences from the Greek world.

Perceptions, Practices and Challenges of Oromo Gabbara Marriage System: The Case of Some Selected Woredas of Bale and West Arsi Zones

The main objective of this study was to investigate perceptions, practices and Challenges of Oromo Gabbaraa Marriage system in the case of some selected woredas of Bale zone and West Arsi zone. To meet the objectives, ethnography research design was mainly employed. A total of 12 kebeles (three kebeles from each woreda) were selected purposively. In the study, 60 couples and 36 elders were involved using snowball sampling technique, and 8 Gadaa leaders as well as 12 religious leaders were chosen purposively. In general, 116 participants were involved in the study. Four instruments of data collection (interview, FGD and non-participant observation) were used. Through semi-structured interview and focused group discussion, the data were collected from elders, couples, Gada leaders and religious leaders. Four wedding ceremonies through participant observation were also observed. Then, the collected data were analyzed and discussed qualitatively under different headings according to their concepts. The results show that Gada leaders, religious leaders, elders and couples have negative perceptions towards the cultural, social, economic, and psychological impacts of this marriage system since it deviates from cultural outlook. The study also shows that gabbara marriage is being practiced mostly in the study area with high dowries’. As the results indicate, as dowry has been being increased over time, it is increasing migration (which is a global issue) of youngsters for collecting money from abroad, particularly, in Shalla and Shashemene districts. As a result, it has been affecting negatively the life of couples socially, culturally, and economically. Moreover, couples and their family and society as a whole have been being challenged in different aspects by the high amount of gabbara. Hence, to minimize this adapted and deviated dowry practices, the concerned stake holders like cultural and tourism officers and Gada leaders, religious leaders, elders and youngsters should work hand-in-hand. Key terms: Perceptions, Practices, Challenges, Gabbaraa, Marriage system, Oromo DOI : 10.7176/JCSD/48-04 Publication date :May 31 st 2019

An Analysis of Dowry Practices and Its Religious Aspect in Rural Area of District Swat-Pakistan

This study aimed at finding the association of dowry practices in Pakhtun culture (dependent variable) with religious aspect of dowry (independent variable). The study was conducted in three villages of District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A sample size of 331 respondents was selected through simple random sampling. Data was collected on a three level likert scale interview schedule. The association of study variables was tested by using chi-square teststatistics. The association of dowry practices in Pakhtun culture was found significant with dowry is the marriage phenomenon (P=0.001), religious scholars do not raise their voices against dowry (P=0.016), due to ignorance Islamic teaching. Dowry has taken a shape of religious obligations (P=0.000), understanding the teachings of Islam better understand the concept of dowry (P=0.000), clergies are making dowry a religious act due to their own vested interests (P=0.000),religious scholars have been failed to differentiate the religious aspect of dowry from cultural practices (P=0.000), religious bonds of marital life is replaced through socioeconomic relationships (P=0.000)and Pakhtun culture is highly reluctant to internalize religious values of dowry (P=0.000). To mitigate the social distress of dowry, misinterpretation of religious values, focusing on the socio-cultural dynamics were recommendations of the study. Keywords : Analysis Aspect, Culture, Dowry, Religious DOI : 10.7176/JPCR/41-01

Norms, practices, and gendered vulnerabilities in the lower Teesta basin, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Gendered vulnerability and its implications for people’s ability to cope with and adapt to climatic stressors was investigated in four poor rural communities in Dimla, Kaunia, Hatibandha, and Patgram upazilas (sub-districts) in Rangpur division in the lower Teesta basin area in northwest Bangladesh. These areas are strongly affected by seasonal floods, flash floods, river bank erosion, and drought throughout the year. Socioeconomic stressors coupled with these climatic stressors lead to a high level of gendered vulnerability among the villagers, which is likely to be exacerbated in extreme climatic situations. Asymmetrical gender divisions make women disproportionately vulnerable and decrease their coping and adaptive capacity in changed situations. The study showed that women are the most vulnerable amongst vulnerable groups, not simply as a result of their gender roles and responsibilities, but more as a result of discriminatory social norms and practices such as lack of property ownership, lack of education, early marriage, the dowry system, and acceptance of domestic violence against women, which further create barriers to women’s mobility and economic empowerment. Women are conditioned to remain at home and not participate, or to wait for men to accompany them to most activities taking place in the public space. Although significant numbers of women have been engaging in income generating activities, creating cooperative funds, and saving money, this is still within the confines of their private space. Government policy to empower women through free education is partly effective but the dominant patriarchal practice of early marriage and dowry discourage women from coming forward. The study concludes that the prevalent gender discriminatory norms and practices must be addressed to achieve gender transformative change, which is an essential requirement for gender equity and inclusive social development. Government policies and programs should be revised to address women’s practical and strategic needs for gender transformative change.

English medium education, patriarchy, and emerging social structures: Narratives of Indian women

AbstractThis article adopts an intersectional, narrative analytic framework to analyze the autobiographical narratives of five North Indian women and examines how they associate their Hindi medium education (HME) with their socioeconomic marginalization in personal and social domains. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews. Analysis of participants’ stories revealed how they narratively constructed specific worldviews within which they reported multiple subordinations resulting from their HME, their gender, and their location in a traditional patriarchal society increasingly influenced by material considerations. The long-established practice of dowry was re-imagined to include “good” jobs and salaries of prospective brides. These, in turn, were portrayed as crucial for successful marriage negotiations and for agreeable post-marital relationships. The women linked HME to an inability to secure “good” jobs and salaries and thus constructed it as saliently responsible for deepening their gender- and class-based marginalization. Analysis also revealed the varying degrees to which they resisted such subordinations.

DOWRY, 'DOWRY AUTONOMY' AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG YOUNG MARRIED WOMEN IN INDIA.

Dowry practice, women's autonomy to use dowry ('dowry autonomy') and the association of these with domestic violence were examined among young married women in India. Data were taken from the 'Youth in India: Situation and Needs Study' carried out in six Indian states during 2006-07. A total of 13,912 women aged 15-24 years were included in the study. About three-quarters of the women reported receiving a dowry at their marriage, and about 66% reported having the ability to exercise autonomy over the use of it - 'dowry autonomy'. Dowry given without 'dowry autonomy' was found to have had no protective value against young women experiencing physical domestic violence in India. While women's participation in paid employment increased the odds of them experiencing physical domestic violence, women's education and marrying after the age of 18 years reduced the likelihood of experiencing physical domestic violence.

Dowry, the Oppression of Women and Femicide in Bangladesh

The marriage transaction, commonly known as dowry, is a widespread phenomenon in Bangladesh, which has inevitably attracted much attention from social science researchers. This has transformed bride wealth marriages to dowry marriages in Bangladeshi society. A dowry is what the groom’s side demands in cash and kind from the bride’s side to complete the marriage. It is a major cause of women’s oppression, which starts from diversified psychological and physical torture that finally turns into femicide. The main objective of this paper is to analyse women’s oppression because of the dowry practice through marriage as a social problem in Bangladesh. This paper also explains the various dimensions of this problem, its multiple functions in women’s oppression, the nature of oppression in its various stages before femicide and the nature of femicide. The paper draws on secondary data from Bangladesh. It is observed that women in Bangladesh are physically, psychologically and socially oppressed by their husband and his family members in many ways because of the dowry. The nature of oppression is diverse in form, but ultimately these oppressions turn into femicide. The nature of femicide is also diverse, and some fire-related deaths and the suicides of young married women are also believed to be related to dowry.

Dowry in the absence of the legal protection of women’s inheritance rights

The practice of dowry is often thought to be the root cause of the unequal treatment of girls in India, as represented by sex-selective abortion and female infanticide. This is because the prospect of burdensome dowry payments in future makes the birth of a girl child unwelcome. For adult women without inheritance rights, however, dowry may function as their only source of protection. Using a nationwide dataset and exploiting a natural experimental setting, this study explores the relationship between dowry and women’s empowerment in India, a society where women do not have inheritance rights, and thus do not usually possess immovable assets. In such a society, dowry seems to enhance women’s status in the marital household. The relationship reverses when women have equal inheritance rights as their brothers. Empirical analysis suggests that the outright ban on dowry that ignores the context may not necessarily benefit women. It also implies that dowry may become unnecessary and disappear once women are assured of inheritance rights.

FEMALE PROPERTY RIGHTS AND DOWRY: A STUDY OF KASHMIR

Marriage payments form an important part of every society. They do not exist in vacuum. They are related to other institutions. According to the functionalist perspective, no practice can survive in society if it does not fulfill the needs of the society. Therefore, it is important to know about the institutional linkages or social anatomy of marriage payments and the kind of functions and dysfunctions they perform. There are various explanations that dowry is given to daughters in lieu of parental property as they are denied of it according to mitakshara law in Hinduism but the case of Muslims is different i.e. they are entitled for parental property rights as per Islamic law. William J. Goody holds the belief that dowry is a sort of pre-mortem inheritance i.e. the female rights in parental property, which is given in the form of dowry on marriages. There are various other explanations to support that dowry is given to daughters in lieu of inheritance rights. The case of Kashmir is different. Females are given rights to the property as per the Islamic rule. It shows no connection with the dowry payments as both dowry and parental property is given to girls. What then makes dowry practice precarious among Shias. The study therefore endeavors to look for other factors responsible for dowry practice other than inheritance rights.

Women as Victims of Barbaric Cultural Practice

It is increasingly felt that it is the women folk who should observe cultural practices regardless of whether such practice are themselves questionable. Culture per se is not challenged but needs to be adhered. Culture signifies growth of our generations in accordance with customs, beliefs and values which can bring a wave of life and humanity in civilizations to come. Yet it is interesting to note that some such customs have the effect of damaging the statute of women thereby affecting the fabric of the society in which we blossom. Women have been battling their life against the unjust practices including honour killings prevalent in India and Pakistan for marrying a low caste male, honour based violence common among refugees in Canada where woman take refugee to escape customary death by her family member for defying disciplinarian rules on dress, dating, socializing and going online. Religious practices are believed to bring humans closer to God is rather true for women in Ireland who are not entitled to abortion even when they are miscarrying for religion preaches otherwise. Age old practice of seeking dowry reduces her to a commodity that can be traded. Not surprising is the fact that even the judges across the globe have not being able to give her the much needed respect to be treated as a human. Sir Mathew Hale, Chief Justice in England, during the 1600s in context of marital rape stated that “The husband cannot be guilty of a rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract, the wife hath given herself in kind unto the husband, whom she cannot retract.” Multiplying are cases of women subordination to culture for want of reformation by male dominated societies. What is more surprising is the fact that women to date are unaware of their rights to be able to battle for them instead they survive the violence before breathing their last.