Education and dowry: an economic exploration

Abstract

Rising levels of dowry often seem to be associated with increasing levels of education. In this article, we briefly survey some of the economic theories that have been put forward to explain the emergence, existence and spread of the dowry phenomenon, especially highlighting the role of education. For a more India-specific perspective, we look at the evolution of dowry among the Muslims and Christians of India. In general, it has been found that dowry increases with the level of the groom’s education but is unrelated to that of the bride. Apart from existing theories, we hypothesize about education serving as a signal for the quality of the groom. The idea is that the qualities that help a man earn more education, also make him more attractive in the marriage market and hence, a higher dowry might be a reflection of the price brides are willing to pay for the qualities.