Mail Order Brides

With the invention of the Internet, the traditional Mail-order bride, or picture book bride industry has been modernized. In the place of catalogs full of photos, there are now Matrimony Agencies located in foreign countries that help match local women with foreign men. The catalogs have been replaced by profiles similar to those found on online dating sites. As the matrimony agencies have updated their web sites, the distinction between a matrimony agency and traditional online dating sites has narrowed and blurred. Generally speaking, the only distinction between online dating sites and matrimony agencies is that the agencies provide structured tours or services for the personal introductions of the foreign men and the local women.

In the past the majority of picture brides or mail order brides came from Japan or China.
The Philippines has since become the number one country providing fiancee visas to the United States. Colombia is the only South American country in the top ten fiancee sending countries.

Top ten "fiancee sending countries to the U.S. in 2006*

Country	Total	Percentage
Philippines	5,266	15%
Vietnam	3,352	10%
China	2,572	7%
Russia	1,788	5%
Mexico	1,664	5%
Colombia	1,515	4%
Cambodia	1,217	3%
Thailand	1,076	3%
Ukraine	1,103	3%
United Kingdom	945	3%
Total	34,947	100%

 

*These numbers do not distinguish between marriages that resulted from matrimony agencies and those that did not.

Divorce rate for Mail Order Brides - United States

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reports that "...marriages arranged through matrimony agencies appear to have a lower divorce rate than the nation as a whole, with fully 80 percent of these marriages having lasted over the years for which reports are available."

The USCIS also reports that "... mail-order bride and e-mail correspondence services result in 4,000 to 6,000 marriages between U.S. men and foreign brides each year."

Divorce rate for Mail Order Brides - Switzerland

More detailed information on the divorce rate of domestic men with foreign women is available from the statistical office of Switzerland.

In 1999, the divorce rate for domestic marriages (Swiss married to Swiss) in Switzerland was 50%. In the same year (1999), marriages with foreigners were comparatively better.

Good Choices:

Marriages between Swiss men and German or Italian women - 40% Divorce rate

Marriages between Swiss and German or Italian women had a comparatively better divorce rate of 40%.

Marriages between Swiss men and Brazilian or Thai women - 30% Divorce rate

Marriages between Brazilian or Thai women and Swiss men turned out to be more durable than expected with a divorce rate of 30%.

Marriages between Swiss men and Colombian women - 20% Divorce rate

Marriages between Colombian women and Swiss men had the fantastically low divorce rate of 20%.

Bad Choices:

Marriages between Swiss men and Dominican Republic women - 60% Divorce rate

Marriages between Swiss and women from the Dominican Republic tend to work very badly, the divorce rate reached catastrophic sixty percent.

Marriages between Swiss men and Philippine women - 45% Divorce rate

Similarly, but not quite as bad, the divorce rate in marriages between Swiss and Philippine women reached 45%.

Lessons Learned:

The role the Brides country of origin plays in the divorce rate

It can thus be concluded that the chance of survival of marriages to mail-order-brides does depend heavily on the bride's country of origin.
Also, income and age difference play an important role in the success rate of the marriage.

The role income plays in the divorce rate

It could be statistically shown that the probability of a divorce declines 20% if the husband earned an income of more than 50,000 USD per year,

The role of age difference plays in the divorce rate

The probability of a divorce increases if the age difference between groom and bride exceeds 15 years.