[In 2013, official records from India's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) revealed that a woman is killed over dowry-related reasons every hour in our country. Section 498 (A) of the Indian Penal Code and the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 punish cruelty by 'the husband or relative of the husband' with imprisonment for up to 3 years, but despite dowry being illegal, the practice is so entrenched in our socio-cultural fabric that it spans caste, class and educational divides, with the demands put forward in recent times only becoming more expensive and persistent.]
"How much dowry are you worth?"
"Higher socio-economic strata is equally involved in such practices."
Even the highly educated class of our society do not say no to dowry. It runs deep into our social system."
"It is saddening to witness such a strong prevalence of marital social issues in India and across the world today. As a result, the original intent of marriage is getting lost,"
"The fundamental purpose of marriage, across religions and cultures is to find lifelong equal companionship and support through the journey of life. Social evils such as dowry and domestic violence destroy the essence and institution of marriage."
“When we looked at newspaper matrimonial ads, we found that in the 1970s, the emphasis by women was on men that were well-settled with a good income. In the ’80s, it was about physical attributes. And then, beginning in the ’90s, it was about your working background, marking a shift from domestic to professional.” Image is used for representational purposes only. Source: ibtimes.co.uk
Words: Aditi Dharmadhikari
