Dowry is a payment made the brides family to the grooms family before a wedding, the price is determined by various things such as the grooms level of education, class, social status of the grooms family, the grooms yearly income..

There have been instances in which, if the father is unable to pay a handsome dowry, the bride puts herself at risk of abuse at the hands of her husband and in-laws. Although the bride’s life may be in jeopardy, she often has no viable options of escape.Even a bride’s own parents may express an unwillingness to take her back into their home. The cultural importance of 'family honor' has a lot to do with the parental reluctance to help. In India, it is considered disgraceful for a married daughter to return to her father's home after marriage.""

Actual statistics are hard to come by but it is generally acknowledged that the prevalence of dowry in India is a contributing factor to widespread female infanticide. Parents who live in poverty or feel they are unable to produce the expenses of a girl such as a dowry often practice female infanticide.

To curb the practice of dowry, the government of India made several laws providing for severe punishment to anyone demanding dowry.While these laws give relief to a woman and her family, at the same time it also puts a man and his family at great risk. Misuse of this law by women in urban India and many incidents of extortion of money from the husband done by the wife and her family (this is called sowry) have come to light. The law allows the jailing of any person the wife names in a written complaint. The elderly and children have been jailed by misuse of this law. The law has a misandry tone to it. The Indian government's motive for removing the evidence requirement (under section 113B) which is required in other penal cases remains a mystery.