Stop the bridal gold rush

The excessively gold-bedecked Kerala bride is a well-known cliché. Jewellery shops promote it, social media memes satirize it, reformers condemn it, and many families strain their finances to achieve it.

It is absurd that in a progressive state like Kerala, most families feel compelled to perpetuate this gross gender discrimination.

A middle class family aims at accumulating 100 sovereigns (800 grams) of gold for a daughter’s marriage. At current gold prices and making charges, that’s a whopping Rs 40 lakhs a family has to budget for just gold jewellery.

Call it what you will — dowry, security, keeping up appearances, or whatever — this is the penalty parents take on themselves for having a girl child.

And it is so unnecessary. Kerala is in many ways a gender equal opportunity society and women role models abound across the socio-economic spectrum.

Why then does society condone this gold handicap for girls?

Often it is because parents and family want to find “suitable” grooms. This conservative mindset will take time to change.

But what of the young women themselves? Having grown up in a progressive society, why do so many otherwise independent and well educated girls agree to being yoked to a Rs 40 lakh gold bill? Why acquiesce?

To these young women, I say — take a stand, break the chain. If even a small number of you cry a halt to this dowry-by-any-other-name, you will give strength and voice to others and make a change.



Cross-posted in LinkedIn. The comments there provide additional perspectives.