Here is something for you to chew on:Theo_Fidel wrote:What does stree dhan mean?
Again the majority of gold in India is bought as jewellery and given as dowry. The data is unequivocal on this.
This is the effect of social pressure today or do you want to blame this one as well on Mahmud of Ghazni.
And no amount of spinning is going to hide just how bad dowry is for society and the economy.
1. Stree dhan means "Women's wealth".
2. Banking has not penetrated deep into India's interior even now. Also proper transfer of land rights, business rights, farm land rights or in general wealth rights has not happened. Even now. That is if your father has left you something in the will, and if your elder or younger brother cheats you of that., the recourse to law is slow and painful and not necessary fructuitous.
3. Now dial back say 50 years., when a woman is married., she goes and lives with her husband. Wherever her husband is., sometimes the husband is in the same village, same town, nearby village, nearby town, further away. As the distance increases so also means of communications becomes slower.
4. So how do parents ensure that the share in the wealth of the family (land, business, agriculture, surplus etc) is passed down to the daughter appropriately? Particularly if the daughter has additional siblings?
Only gold is the mobile, liquid asset that can hold value and can be easily transported (is dense)., best is to wear it in jewellery, is useful asset. Just like people owning harley davidson.
And further, it is women's wealth., so when she feels like it - she will use it to educate her kids or buy a home for her husband or help him start a business.
So what is wrong with "dowry"., and again that was a victorian concept - right - Bombay was given as dowry from the portugeese to the english!
Of course, as with any asset., it can be misused. For ego purposes - a groom may want a bigger dowry than others in his social circle to feel better., just like lot of puny americans drive around in hummer to feel bigger and bolder or lot of americans going under nip/tuck to look better! Oh they are all humans after all.
And why are you bringing up Ghazni in the debate? It is like you saying that racism is a problem in US because of those congis., I mean vietcongis.
TSJones, is it a hallmark of americans to climb a totem pole and give lecture to the world without knowing the inherent culture, issues, infrastructure, prejudices, biases, strengths, weakness, history etc?
Yes, gold is bought as jewellery and given as dowry. Nothing wrong in it. Or are you feeling sad that you did not marry an Indian and did not get a dowry and at a age where you are back in diapers and hence no chance?
What is wrong with dowry (or with all marriages) is where unnecessary demands are placed on the bride (or groom., but because of less women empowerment in India, mostly brides) to satisfy egos of the groom and his family.