Dowry & Inheritance

Book excerpt: The essays in this book examine the sociological, legal, cultural and economic implications of dowry. The connection between dowry or bridewealth norms and the status of women, inheritance and its impact on women's empowerment are discussed from the multiple perspectives adopted by different feminist scholars. Feminist interventions have dealt with slippery definitions, concepts in legal formulations and theoretical questions regarding the volition and agency of women in a patriarchal structure. The essays examine the activist position vis-Ã -vis dowry and inheritance: should dowry be boycotted in toto, or only its excesses? Is dowry a form of inheritance? Legal intervention is often seen as the most concrete means to address issues of equity, but the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1984 leaves room for manoeuvre: dowry as a condition of marriage is punishable, but voluntary gifts are excluded from the ambit of the law. More recently, legislative intervention has sought to grant equal inheritance rights to women. Will these developments make for greater gender equity? This book brings together intellectually stimulating analysis and radical activism, in a cogent and comprehensive assessment of an issue and a practice that has preoccupied Indian feminists for the past three decades.