The Women in Mail Order Bride Catalogs

Strictly, the term mail order bride refers to
women who are wives or fiancees of men who are
U.S. citizens or permanent residents, whom they
met through fee-for-service programs operated
by international matchmaking agencies.
(Ordonez 127; see Works Cited below).

. . . a 30 billion dollar foreign debt has caused oppression,
underdevelopment, a brain drain, and the exploitation of
women. . . This underemployment has resulted in a very
damaging brain drain, making the Philippines the largest
and the second largest exporter of nurses and doctors
respectively. . . Because of these problems, the Philippines
is vulnerable to the institutionalized exploitation of its
women through unskilled labor, prostitution and, most
recently, the mail-order bride business.
(Glodova and Onizuka 49; see Works Cited below).

When asked if visas are generally granted to U.S. citizen
petitioners, Consul general Beardsley says, "We may
delay some cases, but generally visas are issued because
there really is no legitimate reason not to." He recounted
one case in which a quadriplegic man petitioned for a
young Filipina. It was very obvious to embassy
representatives that the only reason he wanted her was
for him to have a nursemaid. (Glodova and Onizuka 57; see Works Cited below).

They build their own support groups and network-find
jobs, babysit, take care of the sick, and raise funds for
each other. When Margie's husband and mother-in-law
threw her and their baby out, Joseph and the other
American husbands took up the cudgels for her. They
accompanied her to the police to get an order of protection
from her abusive husband and accompanied her to the court
for the trial. Meanwhile, the group provided her a bed in their
homes alternately and raised funds for her legal fees and the
baby's milk. (Ordonez 130; see Works Cited below).

In the last two decades, amidst poverty and oppression,
the promise of the good life as touted by the matchmakers
(paid brokers who seek these women out for the mail order
bride catalogs) and reports of "success" by friends who
opted for life outside the Philippines have influenced, even
forced, women to seek future mates through the mail. They
see American males as their "knights in shining armor" who
will snatch them away from their life of poverty and
oppression. (Glodova and Onizuka 50; see Works Cited below)

Mail Order Marriages

Racial, as well as economic, factors define the marriage
however. The new wife is relegated to a more inferior
position . . .the inequity of the partnership is further
complicated by the mail-order bride's immigrant status.
Consequently she is a foreigner not only to the culture,
language, and society, but to her husband's race and
nationality as well.
(Villapando 319; see Works Cited below).

. . . the women themselves refuse to seek help.
This often occurs with Asians, because they are
taught to keep problems in the family, due to
feelings of shame. It is not easy to get such women
to report abuse to the authorities or social workers,
or even the media. Hence, there are more mail-order
success stories reported than those of failed marriages.
Often, television talk shows or newspapers are unable to
present the other side of the mail-order bride story
because it is not easy for the abused wives to come
forward and tell their stories.
(Glodova and Onizuka 63; see Works Cited below).

...new laws have been created to aid women in this type of situation. The Filipino Reporter reported in June of 1996 that, "President Clinton signed into law a bill that gives a woman the right to pursue her citizenship on her own if she's a victim of spousal or domestic abuse" . . . the key is for the mail order bride to have the knowledge of these laws so she does not fall victim to her husband if he turns abusive.

Another area which specifically affects foreign-born
brides is their immigrant status. According to the
Japanese American Citizens League, "these foreign
women are at a disadvantage." This civil rights group
targets the women's unfamiliarity with the U.S.
immigration laws as one of the most disturbing aspects
of the business. "As a result (of the ignorance), they
may miss an opportunity to become a naturalized
citizen, forfeit rights as a legal spouse, or live under
an unwarranted fear of deportation which may be
fostered by their spouse as a means of control.
(Villapando 326; see Works Cited below)

. . . as part of the federal Omnibus Appropriations Act,
PL 101-208, requires all mail order businesses to inform
prospective brides about United States laws dealing
with residency status, penalties for marriage fraud and the
rights of immigrants who suffer spousal battery. Mail
order businesses must also inform their overseas recruits
about the mail order business itself, including all
applicable regulations. All of the information must be
provided in the native language of a recruit.
("Veloria" 4; see Works Cited below).

The Mail Order Bride Business

It uses a hegemonic construction of romance to
sustain dominant Anglo patriarchal ideology at
the expense of a subordinated Asian Pilipina
female image through various intersecting discursive
strategies: commodification, opposition and
inoculation, euphemization and racist ideology
embedded in a specialized "Oriental Butterfly"
grammar. These strategies which intermingle
economic, sexual, and racial hegemony, create an
ideal product-the Pilipina "Oriental Butterfly" doll-
that functions as a self-reflexive mirror of the face
of Anglo patriarchal power. . . the. . . mail order bride
firm employs a set of discursive codes which create a
mythic image of Asia that empowers the West and
rationalizes Euro-American authority over the Asian
(female) other. (Halualani 46; see Works Cited below).

The Men Who "Purchase" Mail Order Brides

Someone who would put me first in all things; my
needs come before anything else. A nice little wife.
She does everything in the house, that's it. She's my
wife and not working for someone else. I think a
lot of divorces are caused because the wife works.
When both work, the roles get mixed up. I love
Evelyn the way she is. If she got a job as a bank
teller downtown and did the typical after work
activities, going for a few drinks with the ladies,
and then starts comparing notes, she could be
easily influenced and become a real women's
libber. And that's a danger. I feel sort of threatened
by that sort of thing. As long as she stays the way
she is and doesn't become crazy, we'll have a good
marriage .(Glodova and Onizuka 31; see Works Cited below).

Pilipina as Woman of Choice

Most of the Filipino women are "attractive and available'"
says Consul General Bruce A. Beardsley in a 1992
personal interview at the U.S. Embassy in Manila,
"with passable (English) language skills." He knows
first-hand how many hundreds of women come to the
embassy to apply for visas as wives or fiancees of
American citizens. In fiscal year 1991 alone, the U.S.
Embassy in Manila granted 7,678 visas to spouses of
Americans. (Glodova and Onizuka 57; see Works Cited below).