Russian Mail-Order Bride Industry

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Mail Order Bride Industry The mail order bride industry has always been controversial on a global scale due to its undeniable reality of selling human beings to one another. In most cases this proves to be a true testament about the industry, but in the case of Russia much of the actual reality goes unknown. The history behind the term "mail order brides" goes as far back as the time of the first American settlers. The settlers, most of whom were men, could not find suitable women to marry and had to write letters to Europe asking women to become their wives. In those days, arranged marriages were quite common, and marrying somebody you barely knew was nothing out of the ordinary. (End, 2006) The times have changed, and now the mail order bride industry has changed as well. There has always been a negative connotation associated with the term “mail order bride” and it is necessary now for people to recognize it as simply another way to find a life partner. Mail order brides from Russia, although controversial, can be both socially and economically beneficial for the bride and groom as well as their countries of origin. These days the term "mail order bride" is currently used to label the relationship between a man from a first world country and a woman from the third world country or the countries of the former USSR. (Morgan, 2007) The common misconception is that the women only want a way out of their misery and terrible economic situation. Brides that are from the Philippines, Thailand, Colombia, and Mexico do fit this mold, but that is not the case with Russian women seeking husbands abroad. Russian women have a much better education than the brides from Asia and Latin America. About 90% of Russian women have college or university degrees. (Minervini & McAndrew, 2006: 113) With their Caucasian appearance, their intelligence and their
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