Mail order brides are those women who sign up with international matrimonial agencies in a quest to find their ideal soul mate from foreign lands, especially America. These women are usually from Russia, Ukraine, the Far East Asian countries, Poland, Sweden and some of the South American nations. For more detailed information on mail order brides, read the extensive breakdown on Wikipedia.
Mail order brides enjoy massive popularity amidst eligible US bachelors, however some of the recent scams have created a series of common myths and these foreign beauties which is greatly affecting the reputation of the entire phenomenon.
The article here aims to highlight the common myths regarding mail order brides followed by a discussion on the actual facts.
The most common myth assumes that these foreign girls are basically in quest of a rich fat wallet from a developed nation and thus they sign up with international matrimonial agencies. It’s believed that these women simply mean to scam the wealthy hunks from America, preying on them with false love and sentiments and once they secure the money from them the girls are gone forever, leaving the guy with a broken heart and an empty wallet.
The Truth: While it is true that there have been cases where some evil-minded foreign girls have scammed innocuous American men in the name of love, this is more the exception rather than the norm. The basic fact is that the typical woman on these sites belongs to a very conservative and patriarchal society where they are not entitled to equal importance with men and hence wish to settle with a loving American man in a foreign country which portrays an egalitarian society with equal respect and regard for both men and women.
Besides, the disturbing ratio between men & women in some countries also compel the women there to look for men from another land. For example, in Russia the ratio between women and men is 100:88 which makes the Russian beauties search for their prince charming from foreign lands. (See this lengthy article with plenty of data on other women’s issues around the world.)
Another common myth about the mail order brides is that they are always dependent on their partners and lack financial independence (again, playing off the “sugar daddy” meme).
The Truth: This is a false and overhyped notion. Just because mail order brides are expert homemakers does not necessarily imply that they are always dependent on their husbands. The truth is that most of the females are well-educated and some of them even attend major universities abroad in pursuit of higher education. In fact, if you browse around reputed mail order bride sites, you will find a lot of professional women with strong credentials. These foreign beauties are brought up in a conservative atmosphere where they are taught to place their family and loved ones above everything else in life and even over their career. Unfortunately if a Russian woman isn’t married by the age of 22, she’s often considered an old maid (Source: Sullivan, Kevin. “Blissful Coexistence?; U.S. Men Seek Mail-Order Brides in Russia.” The Washington Post. 24 May 1994. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.)
Although 52% of Russia’s workforce is made up of women, they usually hold low positions in jobs with lower respect and less wages, while earning only 43% of what the Russian men earn. (Source: “Russian Mail Order Bride Case Study.” Welcome to American University, Washington, DC USA. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.).
Thus, to conclude, mail order brides are well educated, independent yet simple women who are just looking for true love and respect in the foreign lands.
