Bride Purchase
Institution of Marriage
Bride Purchase
Bride Purchase
Institution of Marriage
In the Nigerian culture, marriage has a completely different meaning than that found in most other countries. Many Nigerians have and still do, practice the idea that a women, once married, is owned by her partner. In other words, the woman is controlled by her partner, after their marriage, in every way. The concept of a woman being a commercial object for purchase demeans bridehood into a form of slavery.
It is considered to be customary and common for the bride to be bought by the groom (Eze-Anaba).
“On marriage, the man is generally expected to pay the bride price to the family of the bride. This payment of bride price has led to idea of ownership of the woman, the exchange of bride price being evidence of a commercial transaction” (Eze-Anaba).
