DOWRY IS A CURSE IN WOMEN'S MARRIAGE: CHANGING DETERMINANTS IN THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF BANGLADESH

Farhana Khandaker Mursheda and Mannan Kazi Abdul

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: The marriage transaction of women, usually in the form of financial or household and living utilities, known as dowry, is a diffused experience in Bangladesh, attracting much attentiveness from social science academia. It is one of the fundamental reasons for the oppression of women, ranging from diverse psychological and physical abuse that can ultimately lead to femicide or suicide. The study included a total weighted sample of 19,735 married women aged 18 to 61 years. We estimated the prevalence of dowry among the women in the study by prioritising and stratifying them by various characteristics. In this study, we used a five-level binary logistic regression model and estimated odds ratios to identify the determinants associated with the practice of dowry in marriage among women at all levels, with a confidence interval of 95%. The data were analysed using Stata software version 18. This study highlights the trends in the determinants of dowry among married women in Bangladesh. The most striking finding is that almost three-quarters of women, especially in certain regions, were directly involved in dowry. It is noted that higher education of both men and women and older household heads significantly affects the likelihood of dowry reduction. Therefore, these findings suggest that the state and social system should take effective measures to continue the trend of higher education in society, empowering older household heads and increasing awareness of both men and women about dowry.

Keywords: marriage; dowry; socio-economic; socio-culture; Bangladesh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z0 Z1 Z10 Z12 Z18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025, Revised 2025
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Published in Social Issues 1.3(2025): pp. 83-96

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