Nothing very new in the article above but I was curious about the use of the word, "dowry" in the heading.
Here are some of the definitions that I found on google.
Dowry, a centuries-old custom, involves a woman's family paying her new husband's family. It is
still prevalent in parts of South Asia, the Middle East, parts of Africa and in some communities in Britain. The
dowry is intended to help set up the couple's new household, especially in cultures where it is rare for a woman to work outside the home. If a woman died without having any sons, her husband would have to return the
dowry to the bride's family, deducting the value of the bride price. Payment, as property or money, of a bride's inheritance by her family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. One purpose of the
dowry was to provide support for the wife on the husband's death.
Dowry has become a great economic burden to the middle and lower class families. ... Therefore Gandhiji has stated that one, who makes
dowry a pre- condition for his marriage, not only shows disrespect to women but also humiliates his own nation, education and womanhood and such young person's should be socially boycotted. In the old days, a dowry is expected but a ring has become its modern replacement.
In the West, it is the often bride's family who shoulders the wedding expenses. In the Philippines, it has traditionally been the groom and/or his family who takes on the expenses of the entire wedding. But as Filipino weddings have slowly evolved into bigger social events, this practice is no longer strictly followed. The wedding expenses are usually divided between the two families. The gesture should come from the bride's family, however. If the bride's family is willing to shoulder some or half of the wedding expenses, the time to make this gesture should be at the pamanhikan dinner.
WEDDINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES | Facts and Details
In ancient Greece, the
dowry is funds or property passed to a daughter at marriage to ensure her support if widowed but also to support her children. A woman had to bring a
dowry with her when she married. A
dowry was a gift of money, property, cattle, or something else of real value. The woman's parents worked out an acceptable
dowry directly with the groom, unless he was still supported by his parents. There
were usually no established
age limits for
marriage, although, with the exception of political marriages, waiting until childbearing
age was considered proper decorum. Many women
were married by the
age of 14 or 16, while men commonly
married around the
age of 30. The tradition of the dowry, has its roots in ancient Greece when women were thought of as 'items for sale'
