Reports
Discussion Papers
No.534 Marriage, Dowry, and Women’s Status in Rural Punjab, Pakistan
by Momoe MAKINO
September 2015
ABSTRACT
Dowry
is
a
common
custom
observed
in
South
Asian
countries.
It
has
been
a
target
of
an
opposition
movement
because
it
is
assumed
to
be
a
root
cause
of
women’s
mistreatment,
for
example,
in
the
form
of
sex-selective
abortion,
girls’
malnutrition,
female
infanticide,
and
domestic
homicide
called
“dowry
murder.”
Despite
its
alleged
evil
consequences
and
the
legal
ban
or
restrictions
on
it,
the
custom
has
been
extended,
and
recently,
the
dowry
amount
seems
to
be
increasing.
However,
there
is
little
empirical
evidence
of
dowry’s
effects.
This
study
empirically
investigates
the
effects
of
dowry
on
women’s
status
in
rural
Pakistan.
We
conducted
a
unique
survey
in
rural
Punjab,
Pakistan,
to
explore
the
marriage
practices
there
and
to
answer
the
research
question.
Results
show
that
a
higher
dowry
amount
enhances
women’s
status
in
the
marital
household.
This
implies
that
an
outright
ban
on
dowries
does
not
necessarily
improve
women’s
welfare
at
this
time.
Keywords:
Dowry,
Intrahousehold
decision
making,
Women’s
status,
Marriage,
Pakistan
JEL
classification:
J12,
J16,
N35,
Z13
Please note that discussion papers are works in various stages of progress and most have not been edited and proofread and may contain errors of fact or judgment. Revised versions of these papers may subsequently appear in more formal publication series. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s). The IDE does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included and accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from its use.