The Evaluation of Dowry System

  The Evaluation of Dowry System   When we talk about DOWRY systems, it is debated from decades in the society and still we can see the impact. The traces of the dowry system in India can be found from the Vedic Ages. The Code of Manu sanctioned dowry and brides wealth in ancient India, but dowry was the more prestigious form and associated with the Brahman caste. Dowries originally started as “love gifts” for the marriages of upper caste individuals, but during the medieval period, the demands for dowries became a precursor for marriage. The demand for dowries spread to the lower caste, and became a prestige issue, with the system becoming rigid and expensive. It is believed that in medieval times, it was a gift in cash or kind given to a bride by her family to maintain her independence after marriage. During the colonial period, it became the only legal way to get married, with the British making the practice of dowry mandatory. Dowry got more pronounced afte...