Editing Wife (section)

==Exchanges of goods or money==
[[Image:Thai Bride Price 2008.jpg|thumb|right|A traditional, formal presentation of the [[bride price]] at a [[Thailand|Thai]] engagement ceremony.]] 
In some parts of the world, traditional payments or exchanges are typically made, including:

* the bride or her family bring her husband a ''[[dowry]]'', 
* the husband or his family pay a ''[[bride price]]'' to the bride's family, 
* both payments are exchanged between the families,
* or the husband pays the wife a ''[[dower]]''.

The purpose of the dowry varies by culture and has varied historically. In some cultures, it was paid not only to support the establishment of a new family, but also served as a condition that if the husband committed grave offenses upon his wife, the dowry had to be returned to the wife or her family. Due to this condition, the dowry was often made [[inalienable right|inalienable]] by the husband during the marriage.<ref>Britannica 2005, ''dowry''</ref> Today, dowries continue to be expected in parts of [[South Asia]] such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and conflicts related to their payment sometimes result in violence, such as [[dowry deaths]] and [[bride burning]].