A new study has found that the prevalence of dowry has risen in India along with a corresponding increase in education and employment opportunities for men. This association between privilege and regressive social customs seems unique to India. Historically, most countries experienced a decline in dowry payments with increasing wealth. But in India, given the lack of job opportunities for women, a prosperous groom is seen as a precious commodity deserving a greater price. Caste does play a crucial role in perpetuating the practice of dowry, given the taboo around inter-caste marriages. However, it affects a smaller section of the population. The study also found evidence of dowry payments decreasing as more women get educated. But the impact of education is not even. While the demands of dowry reduce with an increase in female education by one year, the concomitant gain when average male education rises by the same duration is far greater. The growing incidence of dowry-related deaths in Kerala, the state with the highest literacy rate in India, is proof of this. This underlines the need for education to be complemented with adequate employment opportunities for women.
Dowry has been illegal in India since 1961; yet 6,589 dowry deaths were recorded in 2021, according to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau, while 13,534 cases were registered the same year under the Dowry Prohibition Act, a 25% year-on-year rise. Welfare policies that manage to keep women in schools — Bengal’s Kanyashree scheme has claimed success in this regard — have led to greater awareness among girls. But again, the wisdom of welfareism can be suspect: other schemes like Rupashree, which promises girls over 18 in Bengal a gift of Rs 25,000 for their marriage, could cut into the gains made against dowry. A study by an NGO has shown that a girl who earns comes to be seen as a resource and not a burden, pushing back the age of marriage by at least five years. So girls’ education must be followed by support for employment in policy. But dowry cannot be eradicated by administrative acumen alone. It is the result of a combination of structural impediments involving patriarchy, misogyny, women’s agency and the prevailing orthodox ideas of wealth and possession. It is worrying that women’s participation in work has declined in the post-pandemic economy. This could lead to dowry’s return in a more virulent form.
