A Dowry Calculator Of Shaadi.Com Creates Ripples On Internet: Know What It's All About

A dowry calculator? Can a shocking tool like this really exist? Know the truth behind this application that's a part of a popular matrimonial site.

"Let's make India a Dowry-Free Society"...states the awareness page/ Image courtesy: Freepik (representational only)

Dowry as a practice was abolished from India on May 1, 1961, and applied to all religions in India. However, here we are 63 years modern but struggling to get this age-old malpractice out of our society. As per the data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 6,450 dowry deaths were reported in India in the year 2022. And in a country where dowry deaths and cases of dowry harassment are reported every other day, naturally a "dowry calculator" sparked a fiery online debate. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal's Shaadi.com is gaining a lot of attention on social media for this shocking feature asking users, "How much Dowry are you worth?"

Shaadi.com's decade-old feature is resurfacing today only for the right reasons. This option shows a graphic of a suited man surrounded by illustrations of a study lamp, books, money bags, a globe, a house, and a car. Below this image is a form which requests users to fill in their age, profession, monthly salary, education, if they own a house and where they live.

What Happens Once You Fill This Form?

Upon filling out the form and clicking on the 'Calculate Dowry Amount' button, the page leads to a video montage of a calculator working number and displays the figure 91,202, mentioning it is the number of dowry deaths reported in India between 2001-2012. The page further asks the question, "Do you still want to know???" and "Is her life worth the price?". Then it shows  an image of a physically abused married woman, with the caption: "Let's make India a Dowry-Free Society" and concludes with "Be the change. Make a difference!"

Taking to social media platform X, one such user @DoctorHussain96 posts, "Initially was shocked to see Dowry calculator in Shaadi.com. A segment of the site shows users how much they are worth in the 'dowry' stakes. When you enter your details like educational qualification and income, you are in for a surprise." The user further appreciated the Shaadi.com founder for this initiative adding, "Respect and wonderful idea @AnupamMittal".

Initially was shocked to see Dowry calculator in https://t.co/EQr0sQBWQD

A segment of the site show users how much they are worth in the 'dowry' stakes. When you enter your details like educational qualification and income, you are in for a surprise.

Instead of showing their… pic.twitter.com/a9jw1P3oBf

— The Cancer Doctor (@DoctorHussain96) May 19, 2024

This post quickly caught the attention of the masses and went viral on social media summoning a flood of comments by netizens. One X user wrote, "Shameful to see that people are still taking dowry in some form or other!..", another user commented, "Fantastic! No one should ideally click on the 'Dowry calculator' in the portal. They should also show how many people have used the tool."

All About the Dowry Calculator

The popular matrimonial website Shaadi.com brought out a seemingly shocking feature in 2011, which was actually a meaningful campaign to stop the practice of dowry taking in India. The site created a page which was a clickbait claiming to calculate your dowry and how much a to-be wife is worth. But once you clicked on the 'Dowry Calculator', it showed how the practice is a social evil and the implications it has on the lives of thousands of women.

An official of Shaadi.com then told the media that the campaign introduced a new way of an age-old problem (dowry) which demanded attention. The initiative was reportedly partnered with NGO Stree Mukti Sanghatana. It aimed at destroying the social evil such as dowry from the institution of marriage. The dowry calculator on Shaadi.com was blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for being misleading and "unacceptable" in 2018. Years later, in 2023, the Delhi High Court termed the website "quite creative" in response to a plea. 

As per media reports, this initiative was created by Shaadi.com in collaboration with NGO Stree Mukti Sanghatana. According to a report on Campaign India, the founder and CEO of Shaadi.com, Anupam Mittal was quoted as saying, "It is saddening to witness such a strong prevalence of marital social issues in India and across the world today. As a result, the original intent of marriage is getting lost. The fundamental purpose of marriage, across religions and cultures, is to find lifelong equal companionship and support through the journey of life. Social evils such as dowry and domestic violence destroy the essence and institution of marriage.”

He further added that, as a leader in the online matchmaking industry, Shaadi.com strives to ensure a positive role is played in directly helping victims of marital abuse. Through Shaadi Cares, our platform is also leveraged to raise awareness among our 30 million members about how marriage can and should be about 'together for good'.