Ukrainian women: fact and fiction

Ukrainian women are well-known for being highly sought after in the international marriage industry. Many western men come to Ukraine in the hopes of finding the true love they couldn't find in the West. At their service are scores of marriage agencies — both Internet-based and "on the scene," travel agencies with dating tour packages, and a thriving sex industry. How did Ukraine achieve the dubious fame of women supplier?

Contrast between American and Ukrainian women

One tends to hear the same gripes about American women (and, to a lesser degree, western women) over and over from expats living in Ukraine. For the article's sake, we'll list them here:

• unrealistic demands of spouses
• success oriented and materialistic
• don't take care of themselves
• lack of femininity

Ukrainian women, by contrast, are seen as being the exact opposite of this list — not too demanding of their husbands, less materialistic and more domestic, attentive to their appearance, and feminine. There is an element of truth to the stereotype many western men have that Ukrainian women are used to having to deal with drunken, boorish husbands who don't participate in housework or raising the children, and so any more or less decent, "average" western man is at a distinct advantage.

Are Ukrainian women really that thin and attractive?

In addition to Ukraine, the author has been to a number of other countries (Slovakia, Poland, and Russia) where people also claim that their women are "the prettiest in the world." In these countries, foreigners are often asked with a wink what they think of the local women. Visitors to Ukraine often note the larger numbers of stunningly attractive women in comparison to their own countries. There are several factors that contribute to this impression other than the actual beauty of Ukrainian women.

• Most foreigners visit large cities where they are constantly in public areas where there are lots of people and hence more beautiful women per square kilometer than in your typical American suburb.
• Ukrainian women tend to dress in tight clothing (even many heavier women), while loose clothes are more popular in the West. This makes them appear slimmer in comparison than they actually are.
• If women from other countries (the U.S. and others) dressed and did their makeup like Ukrainian women, they would probably seem just as attractive.

It is also important to note that thin women are to be found primarily in urban areas, with more slim women among the middle and upper classes. In villages and small towns chunkiness is the norm, even for young women. Finally, the percentage of overweight women above 45 is no different than in the West. In Ukraine obesity is just as much a problem as it is in the U.S.

To summarize, you will indeed find a higher proportion of slim, attractively dressing women in Ukraine — but only in the 20-45 age category, in cities, and among the educated.

Ukrainian women and the international dating business

The international marriage business isn't exactly the cleanest you can imagine. Marriage agencies often include women or girls in their databases from other dating agencies, women who are married, and anyone else they can get their hands on to boost the number of attractive women in their databases. Men aren't always able to get in contact with the women whose contact info they have paid for. Among the "women" are occasional crooks who weasel money out of gullible suitors for "college studies," "medical operations" for their mothers, etc. There is a whole category of crooks and semi-prostitutes who play on foreigners' romantic feelings for money (not to mention "real" prostitutes). Some of these women work the foreigners they meet in bars, night clubs, and other places, milking them for presents and favors until they see that the cash flow has dried up.

Nevertheless, many foreign men (and the few foreign women who marry Ukrainian men) successfully find Ukrainian wives and are satisfied with their dating choice, contributing to the largely positive image that Ukrainian women enjoy worldwide.