As a father of three daughters and no sons - my life is considered ruined by Indian standards because I could never pay enough in dowry to marry off my girls.
They still practice dowry in India.
Essentially in Hindu tradition - a female is only half a human being until she is married. Then, for only as long as her husband lives.
Marriage in India is a business transaction; almost all marriages in India are arranged. Child marriages to older men among Hindus is common. Marriages are decided based upon caste and station and by how much money is agreed to be given to the groom's family for the man to 'take' the woman to be his wife. This tradition even applies to Christians - and I would know having performed several marriages among the brethren there myself.
Once the woman is married, she goes to live with the husband's family to be their servant in their home unless or until the husband has enough funds to obtain his own home.
India is a Patriarchal society. Girls are a burden to a family due to the enormous cost of getting them married and the primacy a family places on the first born son. This is why you will find millions of girls on the streets ranging in age from infants to teens begging, because their own parents discarded them.
