The biggest test in order to performing empirical education into the dowry is the run out of otherwise inadequacy of data

2.2 Problems with current data

Due to the fact dowry is actually legally banned inside India and Bangladesh, anyone usually think twice to let you know particular dowry quantity. The product quality matter with the dowry in the Indian dataset asks from the community-established dowry. Particularly, this new India Human Advancement Survey asks “Fundamentally in the region for a family group for example yours, which are the particular points that are provided due to the fact merchandise at the time of the newest daughter’s relationship?” A community-built dowry is not necessarily the identical to a single dowry, that is reduced from the bride’s moms and dads at the time of relationships. Alternatively, the question out-of dowry allows just a digital address, we.elizabeth., no matter if a positive level of dowry was repaid (age.g., Survey towards Reputation of females and you can Fertility in Asia and Pakistan). A binary address, obviously, will not offer much facts. The norm of if or not an optimistic dowry matter is offered corresponds so you’re able to, which is largely said by, cultural, religious, and status backgrounds during the Southern area China.

Given that dowry is not legitimately banned inside Pakistan, the quantity personally reduced by female respondent’s parents will likely be asked as opposed to booking for the a great Pakistani dataset like the Pakistan Rural Domestic Questionnaire. Though Pakistani interviewees may well not intentionally cover real information on dowry practices, the fresh questionnaire may still have recall errors given that participants need remember the fresh new dowry amount repaid because of the the mothers in the past. Figure 1a plots of land brand new forecast level of real dowry beliefs counted in Pakistani Rupees in the 2004 to relationship season playing with study away from the fresh new Pakistan Outlying Family Questionnaire. As consensus is the fact actual dowry amounts try increasing, or perhaps exhibit a non-declining development, brand new shape suggests the entire desire out of recall problems. This means, the fresh prolonged the brand new gap within interviewees’ marriage together with recall go out, a lot more likely he or she is to help you overestimate new dowry matter.

Dating anywhere between ladies ounts. The latest range reveals the newest forecast actual number of dowry regressed on the ladies’ wedding 12 months. The new shady town shows 95% rely on interval of one’s forecast amount of dowry. The details resources of (a) and you will (b) is actually Pakistan Outlying Family Questionnaire 2004, additionally the rural household questionnaire presented by the writer in 2013, respectively

3 Studies

For the better of the knowledge, research compiled inside data may be the earliest to adopt clearly a broad tendency to overestimate a cost repaid a long time back. Just as the characteristics from in earlier times accumulated data, ours are retrospective; however, based on which interest, we such as for instance observed particular efforts to minimize survey bear in mind errors. Instance, we required the level of one another neighborhood-situated dowry (non-retrospective) and personal dowry matter paid down during new respondent’s marriage (retrospective). Just like the Pakistani dowry contains silver/jewellery, dresses, chairs, kitchenware, and stuff like that, i queried dowry numbers by the product. Whenever we noticed an excellent respondent’s overestimation of one’s dowry amount, especially in possible regarding a wedding you to taken place an effective while back, since dowry is actually exhibited, we can and you can did consider these wide variety that have people who attended https://brightwomen.net/tr/kazakistan-kadin/ the new ceremony. Therefore, the investigation on the predicted genuine levels of dowry (Fig. 1b) do not let you know one decreasing development, on the other hand that have those advertised into the Fig. 1a.

3.step 1 Survey

When conducting our survey between , we intended to capture the heterogeneous aspects of the Punjab province in Pakistan. We divided Punjab (36 districts) into five regions: Pothohar (or North), Central, East, West, and South Punjab. Climate, culture (including marriage/inheritance practices), and socioeconomic conditions differ across regions but are similar within each region. We randomly selected one district from each region, namely, Rawalpindi, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Muzaffargarh, and Bahawalnagar (Fig. 2). We used the district census for 1998–1999, the latest census available in Pakistan as of 2013, to randomly select six villages in rural areas in each of the five districts. We restricted sampling villages to those with a population of at least 1000 at the time of the census. In each village, we selected 22 households, following a stratified random sampling methodology. First, with assistance from the village chief, we made a list of households in the village and categorized them into a stratum. The strata are kammees Footnote 10 (i.e., traditional service or lower caste, with annual income ? PKR 200,000, > PKR 200,000) and zamindars (i.e., landowning farmers with land < 5,>12.5 acres). Eligible households in our survey are defined as those with an economically active husband and wife aged 15–65. Second, we performed stratified random sampling so that the share of each stratum in our sample corresponds to the share of each stratum of the village population (= households).