TFA is about India. Don't automatically apply its perspective to other cultures, because the motivation of dowry/bride price can vary considerably. When I work

TFA is about India. Don't automatically apply its perspective to other cultures, because the motivation of dowry/bride price can vary considerably. When I worked in Arabia, I had occasion to discuss wedding arrangements with some traditional families as they were going through negotiations for a wedding contract. Although they used "dowry", what they were concerned about was not really that or a bride price. When getting married, the husband is expected to give the bride a large lump sum of money. The bride is then expected to hold it in reserve in case something happens with the husband (e.g. divorce or death). Another example is the historical case of dowries in England, such as you read much about in Jane Austen novels. Because of primogeniture, women couldn't inherit estates, but fathers were still concerned to pass wealth along to their daughters. Dowries allowed a transfer of wealth that couldn't be done through inheritance.