> It ensures that they ... [have] little to zero ability defend themselves, escape or make decisions about their own lives.
In these societies all that is the baseline. The wife will be a piece of property no matter who the husband is. The bride price doesn’t create that situation.
Marylin Monroe was married off at an early age. Parents who cannot afford to support their children or for whom that is burdensome have inherent incentive to move them out of their house.
If you deny them the chance to marry them off for money, then what? Do you think they just rise to the occasion and provide for the girl a life of luxury? Or do they maybe throw her out into the street because it's the only option left to them?
In a situation where being a homeless woman is likely to result in starvation, rape, possibly gang rape, possibly being taken in by a pimp, does getting married to some rich guy who may happen to be an asshole really sound like the worst thing ever?
I’m just saying that the current situation seems to value selling of daughters, whatever the motive: be it poverty or a desire to perpetuate the system. Considering that women in this situation often do not have much say over the process, it is my assumption that there is a very real chance that the end result may not be the best one for them, whatever it might be.
Am I? I think my original point still stands, which was nothing more than "there is an incentive for parents to sell their daughters" because they literally make money in doing so. In my second comment I provided an example of why this could be in conflict with the bride's interests.
In a society where women can’t participate in the work force and the economy and peoples’ health is uncertain, parents already have huge incentives to get their daughters married off.
In these societies all that is the baseline. The wife will be a piece of property no matter who the husband is. The bride price doesn’t create that situation.