Owing the daughter-in-law: Bridewealth and the dynamics of intergenerational care in rural China

Bridewealth is one of the first gifts exchanged between the patriline and an incoming daughter-in-law, yet it has become a visible symbol of the contemporary reversal of traditional age-based authority—particularly provoking complaints from older women. Despite their protests, the older generation continues to make significant sacrifices of time and finances to provide expensive bridewealth packages. Through analysis of ethnographic scenes in rural Henan, China, I complicate the notion of bridewealth as intergenerational gift exchange. My analysis challenges foundational assumptions in exchange theory by showing that not all gifts operate through clear, expected forms of reciprocity. This article contributes conceptually to the literature on contemporary family practices by reframing bridewealth not as a closed-loop exchange, but as a relational practice embedded in uncertainty, obligation, and care. In doing so, this article deepens understanding of how intergenerational ties are both formed and constrained in environments of rapid social change, highlighting how gift exchanges can endure even as their intentions, beneficiaries, and returns shift.