Dowry-Related Violence: A Content Analysis of News in Selected Newspapers

Abstract

Dowry, though legally proscribed, is still a culturally sanctioned and socially structured practice in India. In dowry-related violence, not only the husband but his family members take part in the victimization of the woman. This study is based on a content analysis of newspapers to discover the perceptions of the mass media regarding dowry-related crimes against women. The paper explores the content of the news items, with reference to the characteristics of the victims and their spouses, the duration of marriage at the time of the violence, the nature of dowry demands, violence towards the victims, reporting of the incident, and the outcomes. The paper concludes that in more than 80% of the cases, the outcome is the wife’s death, preceded by physical and mental torture. In almost all the cases, the victimized woman is young, not highly educated, and dependent. The incidents are mostly confined to the early years of marriage and the victim’s husband tends to be the main tormentor. At the time of death, in almost all the cases, the woman was residing at her in-laws’ residence.

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