Social Fact Short Essay

Social facts are cultural norms, values, and structures that transcend the way society works and exercises control on social grounds. According to French sociologist Durkheim, social facts comprise the discipline of sociology, and it should be the core aspect of their study (Gondal and Ejaz 38). Notably, different experiences express how social facts work in society today. From my personal encounters, I consider the dowry system to be part of the social facts that have been the norm in society for centuries. The community values the system, irrespective of whether an individual likes the idea of paying pride price or not. In most cultures, dowry is a part of marriage, and it has to be settled for a union to be complete.

An entire community, not an individual’s point of view, has to be involved for a norm to be considered a social fact, which implies that the dowry system cannot be stopped or ignored based on personal perception. Therefore, if a person chooses not to honor the custom, the practice is not affected in any way on a societal level (Baxi 6). Moreover, most communities globally consider dowry payment a mandatory pride price, and a man is deemed irresponsible if he ignores to honor the practices.
The dowry system in most communities acts as security in case of a divorce. Besides, it is essential to note that families of lower caste members practice it because it is not only a social requirement but also a source of income to the bride’s kin, of course depending on the community’s beliefs. In conclusion, the dowry system, as a caste system, is an un-abolishable system.

Works Cited
Baxi, Pratiksha. “Introduction: Picturing Sociological Scenes-Social Life of Law in India.” Indian Sociology, vol. 53, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-18.
Gondal, Sadia, and Mehak Ejaz. “The Dowry System in India-Problem of Dowry Deaths.” Journal of Indian Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, 2015, pp. 37-41.