Final answer:
Bridewealth, also known as bride price, is the transfer of value from the groom's to the bride's family. It has both social and economic aspects, representing contractual obligations between families and serving as a form of compensation and investment in a new family. Conflicts related to bridewealth can have social implications, and its practice contributes to the stability of a socioeconomic household.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bride wealth (also called bride price) is the transfer of material and symbolic value from the groom's to the bride's family. It can involve the transfer of money, goods, or even symbolic ritual artifacts. The social aspect of bridewealth is that it represents the contractual obligations between the families, and conflicts arising from those obligations can spill over into the larger society, creating social divisions. On the other hand, the economic aspect of bridewealth is that it represents a form of compensation and investment in the creation of a new family, where the groom's family transfers wealth to the bride's family to establish a stable socioeconomic household.