Plural of dower; multiple portions of property or money brought to marriage, or multiple widows holding dower rights.
Regular plural of 'dower' formed by adding -s, used to refer to multiple instances or holders of dower.
Historical records show that managing multiple dowers in a family—ensuring each daughter had adequate provision—was a serious economic concern that shaped inheritance planning for centuries.
Dowers (those who provide dowries, or plural of dower as dowry) reinforces the transactional framing of women in marriage, where families are 'dowers' (agents) and women are 'dowed' (objects transferred).
Use historically with clear acknowledgment of the power dynamic; avoid passive voice that obscures agency ('women were dowered' → 'families transferred property with marriages').
["property-transferring families","spouse's relatives","wedding gift-givers"]
Some dowers (particularly mothers and female relatives) used dowry negotiation to retain influence over daughters' lives; recognizing this restores women's strategic agency.
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