Mail-order brides are women who list themselves in catalogs to be selected for marriage by men. Historically, the origin of this concept was picture brides. These women stayed overseas, and they would introduce themselves to their potential international husbands by sending a photograph via mail. The common trend is that most of these women come from developing and poverty-affected countries. They are usually seeking men in developed nations that are financially stable. The majority of these women come from Southeast Asia, Latin America, Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. The topmost mail order brides are; AsiaMe, Latin Beauty Date, Meet European Beauty, Kiss Russian Beauty, and Latin Women Love (The World Financial Review 1).
The economic condition of the countries that these women originate from is primarily low income. Most of them come from rural areas and struggle to meet their basic needs such as proper shelter, food, and clothing. They are forced to grow up in such poor conditions that most are expected to marry a foreign man from developed countries to have beautiful children and a financially stable and comfortable life. At a young age, they learn how to access fledgling internet cafes in their small cities and register themselves into the mail-order bride service in the hope of securing a better life with a handsome foreign man.
These sites appear to cater for men seeking traditional gender-role relationships. One of the reasons men prefer an overseas bride that has grown up in these countries is that most women have grown up believing that men are better than them and are more likely to see the men as authoritative figures. Another reason is that these women grew up believing that their role is in-home care, child nurturing, and taking care of their husbands. This is in comparison to women who have been raised in developed countries and have had sufficient access to education and women empowerment. Men are also enticed that they may not get local brides because of the worry that they are not as beautiful or in shape compared to overseas blood. Most of these women are focused on their beauty and how to make their men happy and are more than content to be at-home wives. This is because it is an automatic upgrade in the social class for them.
Work Cited
“Mail Order Brides Pricing – How Much Does It Cost To Find And Buy A Foreign Wife? – The World Financial Review”. The World Financial Review, 2021, https://worldfinancialreview.com/mail-order-brides-pricing-how-much-does-it-cost-to-find-and-buy-a-foreign-wife/.
