SOC 2103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Gender Role, Bride Price, Dowry
2 Oct 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Functions: joining two families for economic security or social standing (business/political exchanges, keep the family intact over generations. Arranged marriages enhances family resources, reputation, and increasing alliances. Based on: dowry/bride price, reputation of the potential spouses family/kin group, obligation/tradition that need to be fulfilled. Dowry (brides family pays the grooms family- property/money), used for security in case of divorce. The larger the dowry, the better the husband the bride will get (more respected family) Biggest stressor of dowry is for poor families with lots of children/daughters. Bride price (the grooms family pays the brides parents as permission to marry their daughter) The higher the brides status/wealth/beauty, the higher the bride price. Arranged marriages and bride prices are fading out with the westernization of cultures such as india and pakistan, but in rural areas bride prices and dowrys are still used. The father acts as a marriage broker, daughter is strongly encouraged to follow the advice from her family.
