Bride price and dowry is often incorrectly defined as a man’s payment for a wife OR if the reverse, the price a bride pays to get married. These are not true definitions because while something of value may be exchanged from one partner to the other, it is considered a gift, not the price one pays to get married. It is something a woman can take as security should she choose to leave her husband. In certain cultures, the dowry can even be the engagement ring itself.
