Dowry and Inheritance (Issues in Contemporary Indian Feminism)

Despite preventive litigation, dowry remains a widespread "social evil"--a marker of social status--more common, disturbingly, among the educated urban middle classes than among the urban poor or rural population in India.  While caste restrictions on the choice of marriage partners seem to have eased, socio-economic factors have gained in significance. Dowry is also making inroads into communities that did not follow the practice traditionally.