| It's a useful illustration of the conflicting views surrounding both dowries and forced marriages. |
| Michael is preparing to marry Delia, and the family is consumed with talk of dowries and other calculable advantages. |
| Constance was busy preparing for her wedding, checking through the guest list, going over her dowries, and rehearsing four times in one week. |
| Male monasteries did not require dowries of their professed members and represented less of a threat to the family patrimony. |
| Brides are expected to bring substantial dowries with them and to defer to their husbands in most matters. |
| Additionally, the government does not recognize forced marriage or dowries paid to the mother's family to legitimize the marriage. |
