The custom of dowry, long entrenched in India's male dominant society , has attained alarming proportions during the last few decades. There is hardly a day when the cries of dowry victims are not echoed by the media. One day we read that the bride was burned to death as she failed to bring in the expected dowry. The next day we come across a case where the bride was taken out on the pretext of sightseeing and pushed from the hill top and these are just those cases which are reported in the media. Apart from these we also have brides who are constantly harassed physically or mentally for failures to bring sufficient dowry.

Dowry normally means given during the marriage to the son in law of his parents either in cash or kind. Th

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Dowry today is being demanded and paid without any relation to the bride's father income and wealth. With the increase desire for quick money and the luxuries of life these demands are not confine to the rich and the middle class alone, but also for the lower class. Failure to meet these demands results in ill treatment of young wife's often driving them to commit suicide and in many instances they have been murdered. Dowry is also view as compensation. According to the view the system of bride price is closely link with women's roll in the productive activity. Among the upper and the middle class women they are not allow to work so their contribution to the productive system is negligible and hence they are burden on their parents. Therefore, when they are given in marriage the grooms parents will have to bare this burden. They are therefore compensated in the form of money a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dowry Culture, Maden Dowry, indian society, India1986 Inter-India, Ranjane Brides, dowry based, middle class, uneven development, based marriages, dowry based marriages,
Approximate Word count = 645
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)