RUSSIAN WOMEN IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE MARKET: WAYS OF MIGRATION AND ADAPTATION IN HOST SOCIETIES

Abstract

The inter-marriage market should be viewed not only as a demographic category but also as a socio-cultural phenomenon determined by international migration. After the collapse of the USSR, the scale of marriage migration from Russia began to increase sharply. Moreover, a significant share of this migration flow was women and girls. In this regard, the term “Russian wife” was formed in international practice and became kind of a brand. Women tried to find wealthy, attentive, caring companions who have no addiction to alcohol, in this regard; they were looking for husbands abroad. The increase in the scale of marriage migration stimulated the creation of a special infrastructure of the marriage market: marriage agencies, professional matchmakers, dating sites, etc. However, this led to the formation of the shadow sector of this market, which was represented by groups engaged in illegal activities related to trafficking. At the moment, Russian women can be found in many countries, but there are four priority areas of marriage migration: North American, European, Asian, and Middle East. Moving to another country, women hope for a prosperous, happy life, but they often face difficulties on the way of adaptation. Most often, such barriers are poor knowledge of the language, mental and cultural differences with a foreign husband. Misunderstanding often leads to a break-up in relations. However, even in the event of divorce, women are rarely return home and try to find a husband abroad again.