Dowry

A dowry is the transfer of parental property to a daughter as her inheritance at her marriage (i.e. inter
vivos) rather than at the owner's death (mortis causa). A dowry establishes a type of conjugal fund, the
nature of which may vary widely. This fund provides an element of financial security in widowhood or
against a negligent husband, and may eventually go to provide for her sons and daughters.!" Dowries
may also go toward establishing a marital household, and therefore might consist of furnishings such as
linens and furniture.
Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. #hile bride price (or bride service)
is a payment by the groom or his family to the bride's parents, dowry is the wealth transferred from the
bride's family to the groom or his family, ostensibly for the bride. $imilarly, dower is the property
settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage and which remains under her
ownership and control.%" &ocally, dowry is called dahej in 'indi, jahe( in Arabic, )eyi( in Tur*ish,
dot in +rench,," and in various parts of Africa as serotwana,-" idana, sadu.uat, mahari, lobola,
mugtaf, and wine/carrying.0"1"2"
Dowry is an ancient custom, and its e3istence may well predate records of it. Dowries continue to be
e3pected in some parts of the world, mainly in $outh Asian, 4iddle 5astern and 6orth African
countries. Disputes related to dowry often result in domestic violence, such as dowry deaths.
Anthropologist 7ac* 8oody's comparative study of dowry systems around the world utili(ing the
5thnographic Atlas demonstrated that dowry is a form of inheritance found in the broad swath of
5urasian societies from 7apan to 9reland that practice :diverging devolution:, i.e. that allow property to
be inherited by children of both se3es. This practice differs from the majority of $ub/$aharan African
societies that practice :homogenous inheritance: in which property is transmitted only to children of
the same se3 as the property holder. These latter African societies are characteri(ed by the transmission
of the ill/named :bride price,: the money, goods or property given by the groom or his family to the
parents of the bride (not the bride herself).;"
8oody has demonstrated an historical correlation between the practices of :diverging devolution:
(dowry) and the development of intensive plough agriculture on the one hand, and homogenous
inheritance (brideprice) and e3tensive hoe agriculture on the other.<" Drawing on the wor* of 5ster
=oserup, 8oody notes that the se3ual division of labour varies in intensive plough agriculture and
e3tensive shifting horticulture. 9n sparsely populated regions where shifting cultivation ta*es place,
most of the wor* is done by women. These are the societies that give brideprice. =oserup further
associates shifting horticulture with the practice of polygamy, and hence bridewealth is paid as a
compensation to her family for the loss of her labour. 9n plough agriculture farming is largely men's
wor*> this is where dowry is given.!?" 9n contrast, plough agriculture is associated with private
property and marriage tends to be monogamous, to *eep the property within the nuclear family. @lose
family are the preferred marriage partners so as to *eep property within the group.!!"
There is a scholarly debate on 8oody's theory. $ylvia Aanagis*o argues, for e3ample, that there are a
number of societies including parts of 7apan, $outhern 9taly, and @hina, that do not support 8oody's
claim that dowry is a form of female inheritance of male property. $he notes that 8oody's is an
evolutionary model in which these historical variables may not be the decisive factors today.!%" $usan
4ann argues, in contrast, with e3amples where even in late 9mperial @hina, dowry was a form of
female inheritance.!,"
$tanley 7. Tambiah (8oody's co/author on the earlier :=ridewealth and Dowry:!-") later argued that
8oody's overall thesis remained pertinent in 6orth 9ndia, although it re.uired modification to meet
local circumstances. 'e points out that dowry in 6orth 9ndia is only partially used as a bride's conjugal
fund, and that a large part goes directly to the groom's joint family. This would initially seem to
discount 8oody's model, e3cept that in 6orth 9ndia, the joint family is composed of the groom's
parents, his married brothers and unmarried sisters, and their third generation children. This joint
family controlled this part of the dowry, which they used to help fund their own daughterBsister's
dowries. =ut when the parents die, and the joint family partitions, this jointly held wealth was then
divided among the married sons, such that ultimately, the bride's dowry given to the joint family
returned to her and her husband as their :conjugal fund.:!0"
$chlegel and 5loul e3panded on 8oody's model through further statistical analysis of the 5thnographic
atlas. They argue that a major factor in determining the type of marriage transaction is the type of
property controlled by the household. =ridewealth circulates property and women, and is typical of
societies where property is limited. Dowry concentrates property and is found in property owning
classes or commercial or landed pastoral peoples. #hen families give dowry, they not only ensure their
daughter's economic security, they also :buy: the best possible husband for her, and son/in/law for
themselves
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