If a young woman did not have a dowry, she went into domestic service.

如果一个年轻女子没有嫁妆，她就要做家政服务赚钱。

youdao

I confess that as a young girl I loved a man who would not marry me for want of a dowry.

我坦白，作为一个年轻女孩我爱上了一个不想因我的嫁妆而娶我的男人。

youdao

Poorer families can either get a dowry or maybe even marry into a family of higher social standing.

穷的家庭能得到嫁妆，或者甚至可能嫁入一个有较高社会地位的家庭。

youdao

Families scrimped and saved for years to build a dowry so that their daughter might marry well.

FORBES: The Social Deterioration of Funny, Floating Money

The researchers say many cases could be linked to demands over a dowry leading to women being set on fire.

BBC: How India treats its women

When she was a young woman her father gave her a choice - he could afford a dowry or pay for her degree, but not both.

BBC: Romila Thapar