In the past several decades, the marriage system in India has experienced a number of changes, including increases in women's age at marriage and the near universal adoption of dowry as a condition of marriage. Both these changes have been attributed to changes in the demographic conditions of the marriage market and, in particular, to the deficit of marriage-able men. This article proposes an alternative view of marriage change, and suggests that gender-stratified marriage rules operating in the context of hierarchical society have shaped women's marriage opportunities historically and contemporaneously. Using marriage indices from the 1921 and 1981 Indian censuses, the article argues that demographic conditions do not completely explain historical or contemporary features of India's marriage system. The article links women's marriage age and the institution of dowry to female disadvantage in the marriage market and to gender-stratified marriage rules.
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