In India, dowry (Hindi: दहेज, Dahēja in Hindi)[1] is the payment in cash or some kind of gifts given to bridegroom's family along with the bride. Generally they include cash, jewellery,[2] electrical appliances, furniture, bedding, crockery, utensils and other household items that help the newlywed set up her home.
The dowry system is thought to put great financial burden[3] on the bride's family. It has been one of the reasons for families and women in India resorting to sex selection [4] in favor of sons.[5] This has distorted the sex ratio of India (940 females per thousand males [6])and has given rise to female foeticide.[7] The payment of a dowry has been prohibited under The 1961 Dowry Prohibition Act in Indian civil law and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498a of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
