Since the XIX the so called Mail-order brides have existed. Primarily as a means of introducing single women to men in the West colonies in America, where the ratio of men to women was unbalanced. It was also popular among Europeans who migrated to America, but due to migrants being primarily single men or families there was always a lack of single ladies to meet. Hence the convenience of meeting women through letters and later on inviting them to live with them.
Later on the concept changed with the arrival of the photography. In early 1900’s the concept picture brides was introduced. This was more common among Asian migrants who would look for a potential wife from their home countries (such as Japan, Korea and to less extent China). Basically, the concept was the same than a mail order bride, but in this case the intermediary would be someone who personally knows the candidates (i.e. family member or family members of their close circle of friends).
Finally, with the arrival of the Internet, dating sites made the concept more popular and common through online agencies and later on Apps. The mail order brides saw its peak during the 90’s, and although its popularity has decreased, it is still present nowadays.
Why Russian women look for husbands?
First of all Eastern Europe countries had a gender imbalance after the Second World War. Around the 50’s there were 76.6 men per 100 women in Russia. This demographic remained saw over several decades. In 2015 the ratio was 86.8 men per 100 men (Source: DESA, World Population prospects).
The second reason is the fall of the Soviet Union, which caused massive poverty among Easter Europe countries. There are many educated and good hearted women which see this as an opportunity of getting a better life. Of course, this includes financial stability and also the opportunity of getting a better job and being able to provide for their families at home.
Even though there is a transactional element in this arrangements, there is also a genuine interest of finding a suitable partner. This is important to understand as the mail order bride system is sometimes misunderstood as submission. As we have previously discussed, a lot of problems emerge from the misunderstanding and objectification of women.
Finally, we simply cannot deny that Slavic women are among the most beautiful in the world.
Mail order services are not rid free of scammers, as any other business in life (think about all other types of scam going online). But as a matter of fact I would go as far as to say that scamming is abundant in this field. This is a tricky part as it is hard to say which websites are legit and which may be scams. And even within safe sites there is always the chance of bumping into fake profiles or scams.
Is this a scam?
The most common scam is that in which dating sites charge excessive fees. It is also the case of enlisted women actually have no genuine interest in meeting men, only courting them through expensive messages and pictures.
The second most common is women which will immediately ask for money assistance. This can come as naive and little request of money for expenses such as paying the internet service or getting a new laptop. And as far as claiming economic and health problems. Of course, one should never wire money to strangers on the internet in the first place.
Overall most serious websites keep an eye on their users and try to weed out any potential threat.
Is this popular nowadays?
The “ Russian Bride” concept has fallen in popularity, mostly due to changes in demographics. Nowadays most western countries do not have a demographic imbalance forcing men to look for women outside of their area. However it is still common as portrayed in series (i.e. Orange is the New Black), books and movies.
It is estimated that in USA, around 10.000 marriages occur every year due to dating websites that seek to unite people from different parts of the world (this includes other demographic targets such as Filipino, Latina, and others).
Most websites keep a record of testimonials which you can check out and get a better idea. Personally I recommend the testimonials of websites such as Russian Brides.
Where to start?
If you are looking to meet women online the first step would be to make a survey of potential websites. Ukrainian Beauties is not a dating site, we only make reviews of sites. Once you have found a potential website we recommend you to stick with it, as this usually reduces the expenses and hassle of having to register in different sites.
Have a look at guides of how to have an effective profile, and practice your conversational skills. Writing and getting serious to someone who is at the other part of the world can sometimes be difficult. But stay positive and let your best part shine out!