Not quite mail order but I would class in a similar category
How Chinese marriage markets help parents find a love match for their child - BBC
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China's Leftover Men: Desperately Seeking Wives
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He's 57 and has never been in a relationship. Now he's worried that his four nephews who live with him might end up alone - and desperate - just like him. How is China addressing its gender imbalance that has reached epic proportions?
China Insight 04/02/2016 China's Left Over Men
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China's Unmarried 'Leftover' Women
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But now, China is home to a fifth of the world’s women whose status as equals is dwindling. Domestic violence rates in the country have soared, marital rape is not considered a crime, those who dare to call themselves feminist activists are being detained by the government, and unmarried women older than 27 are commonly referred to as ""leftover women.""
To find out what lies behind the drastic shift in women’s social status in China, we track down feminist scholar and ""iron girl"" Wang Zheng and spend a day with one of China’s so-called leftover women. We also explore the extremes of China's wedding industry and its defectors before meeting Wei Tingting, one of the five women's rights activists detained for trying to start a campaign against sexual harassment on public transportation.
I was going to mention the chinese leftovers as an option to mail order brides but their stern culture makes it too hard. Seeing those markets in person is quite the experience, almost sad really. Usually the parents setting up little booths with a catalog of their daughter for all to check out then they vet you withsome incredibly high standards. Doctor? Own many properties? Parents deeply involved in your life? Chinese? No to any of these and your out and the search goes on. The girls dont have a say.
I have a friend dating a 40 year old leftover right now in london. They met online without her parents knowledge about 6 months ago. They want to go further in the relationship but he knows once the parents find out he will be kicked out of the relationship and she will be alone again. He has already been told by her that since he doesnt own property, any property, they cant get married. While thats easy enough to over come he is but a simple robotics engineer making about 100k a year and that job isnt prestige enough to meet the parents approval so she can never marry him so will be alone. For clarity her parents dont work and they certainly arent rich. The daughter fully supports them on her 50k a year job as she brings great shame to them and is her punishment for not being married. Interestingly she bought the property the parents live in which brought greater shame to her as property ownership is for men only.
Hearing the stories from him is really interesting. She is a great girl too.
I have a couple stories about those bulgarian brides too. A friend married one, had twins and she is taking everything he owns now. It was an easy way for her to get a better life. The kids are just a tool she made. She wants no part of them yet he cant have them either. Supposedly they are being shipped back to bulgaria while she stays to enjoy her new life.
The roma market is quite a scary place. It felt like modern day slavery. Like 15 year old girls dressed like whores mostly being sold by the parents. Some still held on to the tradition of fancy dress and family intergration though which is slightly better. The gypsy grab comes from here i am pretty sure. Hold the girl long enough and she is yours at the market. Some girls do put up a fight though.
