The evil practice of dowry is prevalent in various parts of India despite being illegal in the country. Dowry is also one of the reasons why female infanticide is still rampant. And while some of us may think that only people belonging to rural India practice it, but there are many so-called ‘modern people’ who still demand dowry in the name of marriage.
Recently such an incident came in the eyes of Netizens when a woman took to social media to reveal how her boyfriend of 6 years believed in dowry and justified it by saying that the money would help his parents during their retirement.
Woman’s Post
The woman said in her post, “I recently had a discussion with my BF of 6 years that left me very concerned. Our marriage discussion was brought up and I told him I was not comfortable with the concept of dowry as it feels like the bride is being given away in a business transaction. His take on the whole thing was that the given dowry would help his parents with the wedding arrangements and also with their retirement.”
She further revealed that her boyfriend comes from a lower-middle-class family while she is well-to-do and earns more than him. She says, “To give a little background, he comes from a lower-middle-class family and he has a little sister to be married after him. I was raised by a single mom and we are relatively well off because she is an educated woman with a big job. I earn 4x more than my BF.”
She further revealed, “I am comfortable with a small wedding without burdening any side of the family. I also suggested we can pay for the wedding ourselves. I am also comfortable helping his family with anything as it will become my family after the marriage. The only thing I am not comfortable with is giving dowry at the time of marriage.”
People’s Reaction
Since this post went viral on social media it is attracting a lot of reactions from people. People online responded to the post by warning the woman of a massive red flag and to break up with her boyfriend. While some emphasized that dowry is illegal, others said that the guy and his family would keep asking for financial favours even after marriage.