[A Russian proverb and, more famously,] A line from an Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin song, beloved by modern women and fans of "The First Wives" Club? (one to rent for your wife in years to come!). But let?s take a look at some of the great Russian and Ukrainian women standing, not behind, but besides, foreign men, giving their all!

Since the dawn of the internet more and more people have done their work and play on-line. Online dating sites, from J-Date and American Singles , to eHarmony , have sprung up all over the place. Thousands, perhaps millions of people, are members of these sites, and hundreds visit the sites regularly to find a date, a long-term partner; even a marriage partner, from amongst the sites members. Does online dating really work?

Russian mail order brides is a term used to refer to Russian women who seek foreign men with the purpose of long-term relationship or marriage. Questing for beautiful Russian mail order brides is not something that has emerged recently, it is a phenomenon that has existed all over the world for many years. It is estimated that in the last decade approximately 150,000 Russian women have emigrated to the United States alone with the purpose of marriage.

For many of the same reasons that Russian women search for a partner in the US , American men are driven to search for a Russian wife. Not only does America have a high divorce rate, but there are a proportionally high number of single men and women in the country. The marriage rate has also declined somewhat over the years. For American men who are interested in marriage, this outlook in the homeland is bleak. As American society values hard work and career success, it is increasingly difficult for the marriage-minded minority to find a suitable partner.

Most people question the motives of women looking for marriage-minded men abroad. ?Are these women for real?? They ask. Or are they after money and an immigration status. Men wonder that so many beautiful, young women, with careers and educations, are still looking to start a family early on. It?s certainly a natural question: why are Russian women looking for a foreign husband? Surely, if they really have conservative values and want families, there are plenty of Russian men available who share, not only these values, but the cultural heritage as well. The reality is quite different...

"Mail Order Brides" and, by extension, "Russian Brides", are negative terms. They are extremely loaded by the stereotype of poverty-stricken women who exploit men's sexual and emotional needs to obtain money or a green card to the United States . Numerous scams have been exposed that enforce the negativity; there were men who posted photographs of models and then asked their mail order clients for money. Other times, it has come to light that the women whose profiles appeared on mail-order sites were being sold off by their relatives. Sometimes, women genuinely posted to find a husband but were then manipulated by American men for sex.