The mail order bride business
appears to be thriving:
- Businesses produce catalogues of women "for
sale". The man pays the service about $1,800 to arrange
the "match" and for the ensuing paperwork. The bride
and groom rarely meet before she comes to this country for
the marriage.
- Approximately 200 to 300 companies operate
in the United States and an estimated 2,000 to 3,500 American
men find wives through these catalogues each year.
- Most of the women are from Russia, Asia,
and the Philippines.
- Most men using the mail-order bride business
are older and divorced.
- These women are attracted by promises
of a glamorous life in the United States. When these cross-cultural
interchanges do result in marriage, unrealistic expectations
on both sides often mean severe incompatibility at best and
outright abuse at worst.
- No studies have been done to track abuse
in these marriages, but womens' groups are convinced the problem
is growing.
Sources:
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"Mail order bride"
Monotype 10.5" x 31" |
