In a message dated 97-09-15 04:59:44 EDT, Anthony DaCosta writes:
> The last case I
>heard was in the 1980s, in a village in rajasthan, perhaps
>one of the most economically underdeveloped state.
>
>As for restrictions on property ownership it is still a
>problem. The institution of patriarchy will not be easy to
>eliminate.
>
>Cheers, Anthony
According to a 60 minutes slot last winter ('96-'97), dying by being burned
is one of the leading causes of death for married women in India. I think
you are confusing the old practice of a woman being burned with the corpse of
her husband with the "accidental" burning of live women while the husband is
still alive. Women are no longer burned alive at the death of their
husbands--the problem is that they are burned in kitchen accidents while the
husband is still alive so he can remarry. If he divorces his wife, he has to
return her marriage portion, and there's no profit in that. Apparently, a
man and his family can live quite well on the successive dowries of multiple
wives. maggie coleman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
