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Russian Women Facts
So you've made up your mind to marry a Russian Woman. But first you should mention the fact that Russian means different culture, different traditions different code of behaviour. Russian Women think in a different way, sometimes their wishes, their aspirations and motives are completely opposite to those that women in other countries have. We understand that there are certain stereotypes concerning Russians in general and Russian Women in particular. Many of these stereotypes are far from reality, but some peculiarities of Russian character and life realias leave their imprints on the character, lifestyle and life values of a Russian Woman. Let's try to understand Russian Women, while keeping in mind that every person is a unique creature.
Why Russian women?
It is considered that a Slavic Woman can become a perfect wife, that means being loving and tender to their husbands they are kind and caring mothers to the children and good keepers of the home hearth. When a husband comes home in the evening he finds his house clean, the food prepared for him and a beautiful loving woman playing with children. Isn't it a dream? It happened to become a dream not only for western men but for Russian women as well, because western women became more oriented on the career and Russian men lost certainty in their ability to provide for the future family due to the difficult economic state. Women are also hesitant about taking such serious step as creating a family, being insecure of the possibility to provide their children with good education, healthcare and living conditions. You know that even lodging is a huge problem for a young family in Russia and other countries of Former Soviet Union. So it's natural that the interest of western men to Russian women has greatly increased during the last few years. And those men that choose to look for a wife in Russia get very lucky because they manage to win the heart of young beautiful slim trendy and well-educated Russian brides that are dreaming of security, stability and happy family life a good future for their children.
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Russian Women and Beauty
On average, young Russian women are slimmer than their western coevals. FSU women are used to preparing food at home, they have not become the victims of the fast food. In addition to this the most of Russian women make use of public transport and walk a lot.
In spite of the comparatively low salaries Russian women spend a lot of money on expensive make-up and clothes. Many of them keep to a diet or go in for sports to stay in a perfect shape. They do so not only to win the hearts and catch admiring glances of men, they think that keeping up with the latest trends in fashion magazines, television and advertising is absolutely necessary to be "compatible" with their female friends. But they have also realized the importance of leading a healthy life-style and having up to date looks. It is considered that a girl who knows how to dress up and attend herself has a lot more chances to get married. Besides many of them learn how to sew or knit from the very childhood because these skills are thought to be of a great demand if one wants to dress up at minimum expenses. But the Russian woman ability to sew or to cook is not enough for a successful marriage.
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Russian women and clothes
You might get amazed at frist being out with a Russian Woman for a special occasion, dinner, or just a movie with the way they are dressed up.
They pay a lot more attention to looks and clothes than European or American women. It is very unlikely that you see many Russian women wearing shapeless T-shirts or baggy jeans.
In FSU cities that is not unnatural to see many women wearing high heels and make up and parfumes durinng the daytime just going to or from work. That is also absolutely normal to wear tight clothes and mini, especially in summer. Do not let this mislead you, as too short a skirt and too bright a top can hid an ordinary girl who will take it as a harassment if you start inviting her to your hotel room out of the blue.
The clothes is a part of image and sexuality of a Russian woman, and means of attraction. They are rather demanding to their own looks. Even if the outfit is not the trendiest, tidiness and elegance are always the requirements for Russian women to themselves and their partners.
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Russian Women and Education
Thanks to the socialistic times when education was free of charge and available for everyone a lot of people in Russia and other FSU countries have got higher education, especially women. Good higher education is also very important for a young girl even if she is not planning to work just after the graduation from the University but wants to dedicate herself to the future family and children. No wonder that Russian acronym for university (ВУЗ - Высшее Учебное Заведение = Higher Educational Establishment) is also deciphered as Successful Marriage.
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Russian Women and Profession
Some of the professions stated in the girls' profiles can seem quite impressive or sometimes even really misleading. That's why we would like to turn your attention to serious differences in the salary amount, prestige, and duties performed by the people of the same profession in different countries. A Russian doctor can have a very good qualification and education and get a paltry salary. But at the same time there is a very little possibility for a Russian doctor to become a doctor in the US or elsewhere. An economist in Russia is not at all the same as in the USA. More often it's a clerk performing duties similar to those of an accountant. Most of women, interested in marriage with a foreign partner, are ready to change the profession or even stay at home, dedicating themselves to the family, husband, children and of course finding time for herself.
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Russian Women and career
According to the statistics the majority of women in FSU have got a job. Sometimes women even happen to be breadwinners. But digging deeper into the reasons for that we find that most women in Russia work not for career they work to get money. Finances in Russian families with children are often so touch-and-go even with both spouses working that some women do not even use all the unpaid maternity leave to which they are legally entitled because their families cannot afford to live on the husband's salary alone.
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Russian Women and money
The attitude to money on behalf of FSU women may seem unusual to you. A lot of western men are afraid of scam and that fear creates serious problems in communicating with FSU women. If you really like a girl you shouldn't be afraid to seem too romantic. Send her flowers, candies or presents to show your affection. Of course words are important, but your deeds are the best token of your feelings. At the same time we recommend to avoid sending money directly to ladies if you have never met, even if the reason seem cogent enough (illness, visa, travel expences, internet expences, small salary etc).
But don't be shocked if she expects you to pay for her at the restaurant, theatre or for a taxi. Paying for a woman at a date is a normal way of courteous behaviour. FSU women expect it from a man and there aren't any "evil intentions". It's a typical dating rule in FSU. If you don't want to pay for her at a restaurant or you don't want to pay for your correspondence, she will never believe that your intentions are serious. If a woman doesn't allow you to pay for her meal or other expences, most liklely she is not ready for a serious relationship yet and doesn't want to feel some obligations towards you.
And there is one more thing that you should know about money and FSU women. FSU women are accustomed to be the binding force in the family and in most families the women take almost complete responsibility for managing the household (probably because practically all money are spent for food, clothes and home expences), that's why Russian husbands give their salary to their wives as the matter of course, because the family budget is usually common and is managed also by the wife. Let it not confuse or shock you. It can be different in your family of course.
Unfortunately constant lack of finance and frequent economical crises haven't taught Russian women to plan a budget. And sometimes when there is money it is often spent in a hasty way under the influence of moment wishes or urgent needs. That is one of the most frequent reasons for misunderstanding in international families. You will have to find a happy medium in order not to let your girlfriend use you without a shame and at the same time you mustn't seem too greedy or being unable to enjoy life. For instance don't be surprised when your girlfriend orders a big portion of ice-cream but doesn't eat it even to a half. Big portion brings more pleasure but the girl can't eat a lot because she wants to stay in a good shape. Such girl DOES NOT blow off your money, she just tries to enjoy the time spent with you.
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Russian women and courting
Gentlehood, attention and courtesy are the qualities with the help of which a well-bred man is differ from others. That is natural and courteous for a man here to help a woman get off a buss or open a door in front of her or help her with the overcoat, not necessarily he should be dating her at the time.
In Russia you're expected to treat a woman like a lady. An expression "to win a woman" would make a perfect sense to describe your attitude to a Russian woman you are courting. She is waiting for your initiative, ability to take up decisions and wants to feel desired and fought for.
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Russian women and religion
The next thing that we want to focus your attention on is Religion. You know that the majority of the population in the FSU is Orthodox that is a branch of Christianity. But that knowledge can be also quite misleading. Most of the women from former SU are much less religious than the ones from America or Western Europe. Even if they call themselves Christians that can mean only that they were baptized in childhood and that they celebrate religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas. Some of them visit church rarely (may be on feast days) but the majority avoids doing it. Most likely it is a result of upbringing in the Soviet Society. But such cool attitude to religious traditions doesn't mean that women from FSU are atheists. Almost all of them believe in the existence of that or another divine power. But their faith often is a mix of orthodox and pagan ideas. As well as in God they believe in witches, witchcraft, malefice, fortunetelling etc. But the interest to religion has recently grown. In the countries that are close to Europe especially where Catholic Church plays an important role even young people are more religious. If the question of religion is really important to you, we recommend to discuss this issue with each lady, you are interested in.
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Russian women and Age
This chapter is closely connected with age difference issue. The phenomenon of ageing and attitude to it is different here. Russians sort of grow up faster then Europeans and Americans. That has more to do with self- perception then looks. We get married, have children, and start thinking about career, own business, having property and settling down in life in general earlier then our coevals in other countries. Even though it is changing at the moment, most people are married and have kids by the age of 30. However they can continue living with their parents. But that is influenced by the factor of poor economy in most FSU countries. Russian women start thinking about marriage and having their own family much earlier and appear to be more mature in many life situations than the girl of the same age in your country. So do not be surprised if a 23-year-old girl tells you things you would expect to hear from a lady that is 10 years older.
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Age Difference
Another thing that causes a lot of arguments is the problem of age difference. We can't say that all the Russian women and girls share the same attitude to the difference in age with their future husband. But there are a lot of young beauties, trying to find a tower of strength, a husband, able to provide a good life level and education to future children and who could be a bread-winner in case of need (not all the women can find an appropriate job without language knowledge and without experience of living in a foreign country). A lot of men "from West" that are above 40 match this ideal perfectly. Nevertheless it's not advisable to waste your time on correspondence with girls who are 20+ years younger than you. Most likely she will be interested in the beginning but than she will probably realize that you have too little in common. But if you're ready to keep on trying than you've got a chance to make things work. But isn't it better to find a woman who is a bit older but looks no worse than a young student but who's got life experience and rich inner world and who will sincerely cherish your relationships.
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Russian women and sex
During the Soviet time sex, speaking up about it, admitting your sexual desires, needs and problems was a taboo. Things are different now and people feel more relaxed dealing with the issues of sex, especially younger generations.
However, the past times have affected the mentality and you should get prepared that your Russian fianc?e might appear less liberated speaking about sex. Russian women are sexy. They can just be more private when it comes to discussing sex related things.
Anyway we wish you good luck in finding the intercultural bridge with your FSU woman! And remember that trust is the basis of any relationship!
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Dating a Russian woman
Internet dating itself is different from that in usual life, but dating a person from another country, with different life style, mentality, culture is a lot more different and requires patience, understanding, flexibility and tolerance.
There may be various reasons why you are searching for a partner in CIS country, and why Russian women are looking for a husband abroad. It could be classified as a combination of cultural, economic, political, personal factors in a great way influenced by mass culture and mass media. Anyway in each case the reasons would be different and any standards can appear to be incorrect.
Based on our experience we would like to give some pieces of advice to those who started this endeavor and help them foresee the factors and analyze risks they might have not considered from the start. Internet pages are full of sad and happy stories about international marriages, and we wish your personal story and your life with your loving Russian wife to be happy.
The 1st thing you should do is to analyze your expectations. What you expect from a woman, your partner, a Russian woman in particular. The main reason of unhappy marriages between western men and Russian women is the discrepancy of the Russian women's expectations and desires and hopes of western men. It is not a secret that there is a widespread opinion among Russian women that life abroad is easy and beautiful and all men are wealthy, kind and match the description of Mr. Right. In their turn men tend to think that all Russian ladies are home bodies, dependent on husbands and live in extreme poverty, so that life in a developed country will look a paradise for them. It would be hard to blame anyone for this as mass media and propaganda affect the opinions and people seldom search for alternative information.When you browse the catalogues the 1st thing that makes a great impression is an outstanding beauty of the women at pictures. The truth is that they are beautiful for real. We have a certain policy that no photos are edited in order to improve a woman's appearance. But you should also take into consideration that before photo session a woman puts make up and is dressed up to look her best. It is hardly possible to look that glamorous in every day life. It is said not to diminish the beauty of Russian women as it is in fact outstanding due to the great mix of nations and the inborn desire to attend herself and look good, but to help you not just focus on a tempting appearance but also consider personal qualities of a lady. There are a lot of good looking and nice ladies in the catalogue that may become the One for you, even though they do not have a model appearance. We often have questions from men how it is possible that top ladies are still available and looking. Taking into account the number of letters they receive, they should have been married already. The reason may be that they are pickier and have higher demands. So don't get caught in an endless loop of the good looks only, search a person.
You should also take into account the age of a woman and the age of a partner she is looking for. We strongly advice ladies to approach this issue thoughtfully. It would be strange if a 23 year -old lady would be looking for a 55-year old man. This is not a regular thing either in this country or abroad. Even though a certain age difference is preferable for a Russian woman, it has to be reasonable. You should also be aware why you are looking for a partner much younger then yourself and how this will affect your relationship in future.
To have harmonious relationship you should pay attention to the gaps in education and a social status.
The place of living, a life style, interests and goals should be similar. It is not that common when a person from a megapolis would feel comfortable in a rural town or village and vice a versa.
Language is one of the most important aspects. Not all Russian women know a foreign language when they start looking for a western partner and get registered with the agency. The agency is of help at the initial stage. But when you develop the relationship and have serious plans for future, it is important for the woman to start learning the language. She should be motivated herself as this is the 1st barrier she will have to overcome to feel comfortable in the relationships and in the country she is going to move. That would sound strange if your Russian partner is not eager to do it.
The most important thing is to realize in what extent the expectations of your Russian bride match yours. Many things like family values, responsibilities, financial aspects, having children, woman's employment, in-laws, children should be discussed. We would try to highlight some of them so that you have a better understanding of your Russian bride and can avoid the problems you might have.
Finances can be an issue your Russian bride and you may have different viewpoints about. In this country people are just learning to take loans and tick expenses and in general they have serious attitude towards finances in everyday life. This is explained by the political and economical changes we have experienced not so long ago. Russian people are not used to speaking much about loans, expenses, bills, ets. That is why it may affect your Russian bride negatively when you speak a lot about this, emphasizing how expensive life is. However you should discuss money issues and find out the attitude of your future partner to earning, spending, saving, investments.
Even though the situation is changing in modern families the traditional approach is when spouses have the same bank account and expenses are common. Your Russian bride would expect you to be the main provider in a family and support her and children financially, at least in the beginning until she adapts in a foreign country and starts working. You should also take keep in mind that her parents, who stay in her home country, may be retired and she will have to help them financially. And this will be your expense item until she makes a living herself.
Family traditions, children and in-laws
Russian people are close to their parents and you should be ready that your Russian wife will want to communicate with her parents on regular basis and help them financially. She will certainly want to visit home once in a while and have her parents come to visit you. This should also be discussed so that you do not have misunderstanding in future. If some of you or both have children from the previous marriages, you should talk in advance what status a child coming in your country will have and all the legal questions connected with it. If your own children live with you or visit you, your future wife has to be informed about this, their attitude to your marriage and what role she is expected to play in their lives. If you plan to have common children, the language (s) they should speak the culture they should learn is also a common decision of international spouses.
Work and education in a foreign country It will be up to you and your Russian wife to decide about her employment when she moves to your country. It is good to discuss this in advance as you may think your future wife will be an equal partner sharing all the expenses and paying bills together when she adapts and finds work, whereas she might expect to become a housewife, bring up kids and make a career of a wife. On the contrary you may want to have a dependant wife staying at home and providing a comfortable atmosphere, but your Russian wife is looking for professional development and social life. Thus both of you will experience the conflict of interests. You should know that when a Russian woman moves to your country, where educational standards and job requirements are different she will most likely have to retrain or confirm her education to the standards there, take courses or enter a university to get a good job and you will be the only one to help her both financially and emotionally. A Russian lawyer or doctor will hardly become a lawyer in a western country soon. And a person having professional life here most likely will be looking forward to having it in her current country. So the difficulties and expenses involved have to be well considered.
Information
Unfortunately your Russian bride is not well-informed about your country law system, banking, traditions, life style, citizenship, social standards, ets. A great deal of help if you land a hand in obtaining the real information, speak about the legal status she and her children will have when they come to live in your county, what rights and obligations she will have what she will have to learn. This will help both of you develop trust relationship, make her understand more about the place she is going to live in and help take an educated decision.
The general recommendation is to ask a Russian woman, you are planning to marry, more questions, try to come and visit her in her home city, get acquainted with her parents and friends, see the environment she lives in, learn the things she is used to. Pay attention to what she says about her family, if she feels comfortable in her home country. A person feeling unhappy about everything and criticizing everything, will most likely be unhappy in any country with any partner.
We wish you luck in your search of your charming Russian bride and a happy family life. We hope these recommendations will help you to avoid the reefs, you may not be aware of.
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Why Russian women are looking for a partner abroad
For long time we have been asked for this question by our clients. The phenomenon of the international marriage between a western men and a Russian / Ukrainian woman has gained so much popularity that this phenomenon attracts the attention of people not involved in the process. We would try to analyze this phenomenon from economical, social, psychological, demographic view points and find out what motivates Russian women to leave their country and look for a spouse abroad.
We do not claim to present any scientific research or write a thesis. Besides, any generalization has little truth in it. That is why this article is just an opinion based on the experience of working in the dating industry for considerable time, having lots of female friends looking for a foreign spouse, personally trying this, collecting the public opinion, having some general observation in the society and studying what mass media and Internet presents about this topic.
One more important thing should be said that not ALL unmarried Russian women are looking for a western husband. The majority is more or less happily married to local men as everywhere in the world. A lot do not believe this will ever work out due to the mentality and cultural differences, others are simply fearful of getting into a poor dependent position in foreign countries, some will never leave their families, etc. In general, there are quite a few reasons against.
Economical aspect would be the most significant in favor of marrying a foreigner. Many countries of the former Soviet Union split now are experiencing economical difficulties and the life standard of average citizens is quite low. This is aggravated by the political instability and uncertainty in the future. The society has split into classes with increasing gap in between. People work really hard for not big money. Such situation affected the image and a position of a Russian man. Being a family provider for all the time before men loose their economical power, get scared to start a family and take a responsibility for it, family thinks twice before having children and not working pensioners are in rather poor condition. Sometimes Russian women appear to adapt to new economical situation even better and work as much as men and at times make more money. Private apartments are incredibly expensive and not many can afford to take a bank loan. It does not mean the country is doomed to poverty, but the current hardship makes a woman seek stability, better economical conditions for her future family and children, some confidence in the future and perspectives. There is a misconception among many western men about the financial aspect of relationship with a Russian woman and about her expectations. Especially when many write they do not want gold diggers.
When a woman states in her profile that she "is looking for a financial security" this means it's very important for her to know that her future husband has a stable secure job and can provide for the family and for everything necessary for life. Many women work and would like to continue work in a foreign country, many are very successful, but there is still essential to be sure a woman can rely on a partner when she gives birth to a child and looks after it. So wants to be with a responsible man and in a safe and secure place to raise children.
One can come across a scam artist easily online. But remember, if you are careful and follow some common-sense advice, you will be able to meet the right person.As a part of security for a woman and her future children come social life and aids granted by the government. Unfortunately in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, the law does defend a woman when she gets a divorce. Nominally she is granted 25% of her ex-husband's income as the alimony for their children. The question of custody is rarely discussed and a child almost always remains with the mother. And in fact not many ex-husbands care about their children; the figures in the financial documents are faked or "fathers" even disappear. Helping children becomes a personal choice not the moral duty or the necessity demanded in the society.
Another even more important factor in favor of seeking a foreign husband is demographical situation.
Statistic rates give different figures, but in general the percentage of men and women in Russia is 46 to 54 correspondingly in Ukraine it is 44 to 55.
In some areas the figures are even more pessimistic the ratio of men to women makes one to 3.Apart from this sociologists draw attention to a characteristic feature of Russia - a 12 years gap between life span of men and women. This appears unique in the world demographic situation.
Average life span of men make 58,5 years, as for women , it is 71,9 years. Specialists explain this as a result of poor economy, living under pressure and hard work. Whatever the reasons are the demographic situation is against women and makes them widen their search and consider marrying a man form another country.
The question Why Russian women are looking for partner abroad should be asked together with "Why Russian women are using the service of introduction or marriage agencies". We will not write about how hard it can be to find a potential partner, especially after a certain age. It is interesting that even using world web it is easier to get in touch with a foreigner interested in relationship then a fellow country man. It is not a usual thing to meet through a local marriage agencies and an average Russian man is very cautions about a woman's intentions to get married. In other words marriage is what scares men off here. When a woman applies to a dating agency, especially an international one, she experiences attention from men that are interested in CREATING A FAMILY and long term relationship and they clearly declare this. (We hope all the intentions are true). The clients often write us that they like that women openly states she wants a family and children and this is her intent and the reason she placed her profile on the Internet or got registered with the agency.
Another aspect is a family role a woman has played in most Eastern European countries for generations. Traditionally Russia and Ukraine are patriarchal countries, with distinct gender roles both for men and women. It is changing now, but still the background and family upbringing play a considerable role.
In 90 cases out of 100 even a very successful and a woman of substance will sacrifice her career and personal interests for the sake of family and children. Even though young ladies are quite independent now and very career oriented, especially in big cities, family and having children remains the main life mission of a woman as she has been taught by her Mom.The majority of families are traditional and a girl from the early age is taught that the she will be responsible for keeping peace and comfort in her family and has to learn patience and respect her husband. This is what probably makes Russian wives so attractive. There is hardly a woman that can be comfortably single or divorced, even though she does not mind this. The public pressure is still quite tough, consciously or not a Russian woman aims at marriage and family.
There are some more pros for looking a western husband from the side of A Russian woman. Some general complains on a Russian spouse and comparisons would be that.
1. Western men help more about the house and generally do not load woman along with all the household duties and cares about the child. They are more used to it and take day to day responsibilities matter-of-factly. On the contrary the majority of Russian men think household duties are what a woman has to do even though she has a full time job.
2. Western men show more respect and appreciation to women; they care and court more and value woman's opinions and decisions.
3. Western men in general drink and smoke less. This can be explained by the years of state policy again smoking and limitation of drinking in public places, but the result is what matters. Many Russian men drink and this turns a family life into hell.
4. Western men care about family and children, invest more time and efforts into the children's upbringing and do it more willingly.
One should also take into account the fact that many Russian women looking for a western partner have never been abroad and never lived in a foreign countries and they may idealize life there and a potential foreign husband. The romantic search of something new and imagining a Prince Charming speaking a foreign language may affect a woman's decision to take this endeavor.
To sum it up we should say that there may be a combination of different reasons why Russian woman are looking for western partners, but the main one still remains searching for love, understanding, happy relationship.
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Russian people and religion.
We are often asked by our clients in what way Russian women and Russian, Ukrainian or Byelorussian people in general are religious and how meaningful the faith and religion is their lives is.
One can be misled by the religion field in the profiles and have wrong opinion. That is why we decided to give a short excursus in what religion means in modern society of Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking about religion in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union one has to take into consideration the history, culture, social and political changes in these courtiers (particularly during the Soviet times) that influenced the perception and attitude to religion of the present day generations and its role in today's life.
The majority of people living in Russian and Ukraine identify themselves with Orthodox religion and consider themselves being parishioners of Orthodox church.
However the research shows that about 62% of Ukrainian citizens consider themselves believers, 26% identify themselves as non-believers, 5% call themselves atheists and 7% are hesitant about their self-identification.
Some researches relate Ukraine to multi-confessional country, in which no particular church dominates; others tend to think the majority of the population is Orthodoxies.
According to the Constitution the Church has to be separated from the State. However the country witnesses the relationship between different confessions and politicization of the religion. It displays in interference of the state officials into the church home affairs and the fact that those at power support Greco-Roman Church.
As for Russian Federation, the "official" church is Russian Orthodox Church of Moscow Eparchy, which is supported by the official government.
To the question "which religion you confess", the majority of Russian respondents claim to be Orthodox - 73%, one fifth consider themselves atheists and 2% relate themselves to other religions denominations. 4 % of Russian citizens claim to follow Islam and about 2% have difficulties with religious self-identification.
The research also shows that women make the majority of the believers (60%) and men - the majority of atheists (66 %). Most atheists are people with University degrees.
In fact the research shows that the majority of people are so called "cultural" orthodoxies, whose religious self-identification is rather a vision then religiousness itself as relating themselves to one or another confession does not imply that a person shares particular religious beliefs or follows religious rituals.
Some believe in God, some in a certain upper power or supreme spirit or intellect, some think there is hell and paradise and are fearful of sins, which not all can determine properly. The fact is that many people declaring that they belong to this or that confession have no idea what the basic principles of this confession are. However this does not prevent them from being good people and lend a hand to the neighbor.Quite often the questions about basic definitions of Christianity or another religion were met with little understanding by the most of people, which made researches conclude there was no clear understanding of what the essence of the religion is.
That is true that the level of religious education is quite low at the moment, even though specialists claim that country witnesses religious Renascence. And people can hardly be blamed for this. Modern generations are those who were born during the Soviet time or brought up by parents who were. The Soviet rule declared its own rituals and ceremonies and banned religion. There was no choice to believe or not to. Everything was decided and imposed by the regime. That is why several generations have to pass before the people get rid of the consequence of atheism and disrespect to religion.
The research also shows that Russians do not live an active religious life. Only 3,6% visit church once a week. One fifth of the respondents go to churn on religious holidays. Women tend to visit church twice as much as men and elderly people do this more often then the youth.
About 46% percent of the respondents never go to church.
So the majority of church goers are elderly people and women.To sum it up Russians' self-identification with Orthodox or any other religion in many cases has ethnic, historical and cultural origin and does not necessarily mean that a person is a believer and has good understanding of what this religion is about. On the other hand, many people have high moral values being not religious at all and even some aspects of communist upbringing and education were based on Christian values.
It has to be marked that with years more and more young people join the church and make it as heir conscious decision.
Some features that can be characteristic of Russian or Ukrainian "cultural" Orthodoxies is that they go to church quite rarely, on religious holidays only or to "light a candle" and remember a close person who is dead. They are seldom well-aware of religious postulates or have read the Bible. They are not used to discussing their faith openly in public or with other people. The general attitude that this is what fanatic old women do. Most people address to the God in a quick prayer to help at the exams or with health problems. It is quite rare that children are taught to pray in the family and family follows all the religious rules. Many people fast for keeping in a good physical, emotional and spiritual shape, then due to the church requirements.
However many Russians and Ukrainians and people of other CIS countries have high ethic and actually live in accordance "Christian" values, but they do not associate it with religion as they are simply not used to.
Moreover Russians normally show tolerance and respect to other religious denominations. Many educated people know world history, culture and origin of different religions.
However is hard to expect that a young Russian woman would be an equal interlocutor in a conversation about religious issues and will be willing to do this.
Anyway people baptize children and order services for the dead as well as some other Christian rituals, but in many cases it is still caused by Orthodox cultural tradition.
The present time is characterized by the integration of the religion in the every day's life of people and naturally there are often conflicts and many acute angles that have to be overcome. Like when Bible studies that are now introduced as optional lessons in some schools turn into attacks of the church on the kids it results in defense from the side of parents and teachers.
It has also be mentioned that central, northern, southern and eastern parts of Ukraine are less religious then its western part, that was under Austrian or Polish rule in different times of its history. Peoples of the Northern Caucasia take their traditional niches and remain Muslim. And west of Belarus has probably more parishioners of Roman Catholic Church as Catholicism had been the official religion there before joining Russia in 18th century.
Most population of Baltic countries is also historically and culturally catholic, besides, Soviet rule did not affect these countries as much as Russia or Ukraine.We hope that the above information will help you realize what role religion plays in lives of most Russian and Ukrainian people. If you are religious, a particular religion matters much for you, if it is important how stick to religious rituals your fiancee would be and if she adapts well in your religious family, we recommend that you discuss it with the lady personally and not rely on the religion field in her profile as it may result in that in the end your views will be different.
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