When a woman commits herself to a marriage agency, she is labeled as a mail order bride. Usually, the traditional process of courtship is skipped and the selection process is limited to meeting a set of standards. This is quite different from arranged marriages, as these are usually settled by parents or friends or acquaintances with no prior qualifications. The process of mail order brides involves the foreign man selecting from a list of women. The usual basis for selection is physical attraction. On the part of the female, she has opened herself up to the prospect of meeting a foreign husband whose proposal she will most likely accept.

Concerns

Although success rates for this type of marriage are high, there are still concerns: Adaptation is always a problem. Since the couples usually are unfamiliar with one another, they have to familiarize themselves with each other's idiosyncrasies. The females usually migrate to a foreign country so they have to adapt to the new culture, and the unfamiliarity of their surroundings. A change in language, food and religious practices can be a huge adjustment. Men who enter into this marriage are usually seen as seeking a sexual partner.

There is always a misconception that females enter the marriage with an ulterior motive - to get a visa, work permit, permanent residence, or citizenship in a more stable country. Many believe the couple that enters into such a marriage is just creating a sham allowing the female to migrate to another country and will eventually divorce. If the marriage does last, people tend to believe that these girls are expected to be slaves more than wives, laboring over household tasks, taking care of babies, serving the husband at his every whim, etc. This is the stereotype given to mail order brides.

Of course there are incidences where the marriage agencies are in connivance with the females and just trying to scam the money off of the male foreigner.