in India, 30 bags of aborted fetus bones found in pit.

Mr.Doobie wrote:

That means that their spouse has to pay for their food, water, and the roof over their head. Hence, the dowry is meant as a way to make the added financial burden of a wife more bearable.

Without a wife to provide legitimate offspring a man in that culture would have no means of continuing his family line and no children to rely on as he grows older. He would also have to find someone to take on the daily houserunning tasks that a wife would ordinarily do.

Why is he being compensated for having someone to do these things, if not for the unequal value given to male and female contributions to a family?