Marriage

====Dowry and bridewealth====
[[File:Say no to dowry.jpg|thumb|Anti-dowry poster in [[Bangalore|Bangalore, India]]]]

In recent years, the customs of [[dowry]] and [[bride price]] have received international criticism for inciting conflicts between families and clans; contributing to [[violence against women]]; promoting materialism; increasing property crimes (where men steal goods such as cattle in order to be able to pay the bride price); and making it difficult for poor people to marry. African women's rights campaigners advocate the abolishing of bride price, which they argue is based on the idea that women are a form of property which can be bought.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://econ.arts.ubc.ca/asiwan/siwan-jep2.pdf |title=The Economics of Dowry and Brideprice |website=econ.arts.ubc.ca |access-date=30 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210516/http://econ.arts.ubc.ca/asiwan/siwan-jep2.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016  }}</ref> Bride price has also been criticized for contributing to [[child trafficking]] as impoverished parents sell their young daughters to rich older men.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Human+rights+groups+ask+NWFP+Govt.+to+ban+%27bride+price%27+to+curb+women...-a0216984357 |title=Human rights groups ask NWFP Govt. to ban 'bride price' to curb women Trafficking |publisher=Thefreelibrary.com |date=18 January 2010 }}</ref> A senior Papua New Guinea police officer has called for the abolishing of bride price arguing that it is one of the main reasons for the mistreatment of women in that country.<ref>{{cite web |author=iSite Interactive Limited |url=http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=130/focusContentID=26256/tableName=mediaRelease/overideSkinName=newsArticle-full.tpl |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126135528/http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=130/focusContentID=26256/tableName=mediaRelease/overideSkinName=newsArticle-full.tpl  |archive-date=26 January 2013 |title=PNG Police blame bride price for violence in marriage |publisher=Islands Business |date=21 November 2011 }}</ref> The opposite practice of dowry has been linked to a high level of violence (see [[Dowry death]]) and to crimes such as [[extortion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/830-addressing-dowry-related-violence-through-criminalization-of-dowry-demands.html |title=Addressing dowry-related violence through criminalization of dowry demands |publisher=Endvawnow.org }}</ref>