[tim-projects]

> In many cultures it used to be (or still is) quite common to treat brides as property.

Property is not the right word for this. Responsibility is the right word.

When a bride price is paid, you give money (or goods) to the family. In return the responsibility of the care of the woman is passed down.

This is not a traditional monetary style transaction in the way it appears.

In practice, a lot of families that accept a bride price end up returning the value in different ways. But the responsibility is passed down from parents to partner and that's why divorce is so frowned upon.

[exceptione]

You can replace bride with dog and nothing changes.

We can sugarcoat it all the way we want, but in biblical times, when parents are under economic stress, female newborns are laid in the sun for post-natal abortion. Female offspring is a financial liability, they do not provide the same 'value' as males do. So when a father raises a women, the father gets compensated.

[tim-projects]

> You can replace bride with dog and nothing changes.

Your reductionist view of the world is both incorrect and insulting. I guess you like it that way

[watwut]

Property is the right word. If it was you taking on responsibility, they would be giving you salary.

[tim-projects]

No because it's shared responsibility with shared benefits.