London, Nov 20 – Dowry-related domestic abuse of women is widely prevalent in India despite the country’s modernisation and years of feminist campaigning, research conducted by a British university has found.
Press Trust of India (PTI) reports the study by the University of Portsmouth’s School of Languages and Area Studies revealed giving a dowry is still regularly practised in parts of the country, leading to gender inequalities on a wide scale.
The research carried out in Kerala showed mothers-in-law were the main harassers and perpetrators of violence against young women in nearly 50 percent of cases.
“Our findings depressingly show that little has improved in the last decade, and dowry remains a fundamental problem in women’s lives. The data shows that investing energy in securing better gender equality has not decreased rates of dowry and related abuse,” said lead researcher Dr Tamsin Bradley.
“Many women, once they reach the status of mother-in-law, are so invested in the patriarchal system that they become the main harassers and perpetrators of violence against young women,” she said.
“Dowry is shown to shape a marriage system that limits women’s opportunities and subjecting them to high instances of abuse,” she added.
Older women said young brides not being properly prepared for marriage nor being able or willing to fit in with the behaviour of their new family were key factors contributing to domestic violence.
Of the younger women who reported experience of abuse, 45 percent said their mother-in-law was the culprit of violence.
–Bernama
