There are hectares (acres) of information and opinions online on what Russian women are like, whether or not they make good wives and how long it will take them to learn English. Many men are concerned whether Russian women are the right match for them, but much less of them wonder whether they are the right match for Russian women.
This attitude is dangerous, because Russian women also have their likes, dislikes, preferences and expectations. If you are the opposite of what she was hoping for, don’t be surprised that instead of kindness, devotion and warmness, you will see rebellion, crankiness and coldness.
The good news is that Russian women, compared to Western women, are pretty low-maintenance as far as their expectations of men go and it is not hard to make them happy. Here is what Russian women are hoping for when looking for a mate.
Being a gentleman. You probably already know that most Russian women are old-fashioned. “Ladies first” rule still applies in Russia, so the guy is expected to open doors for her, help her put on her coat, bring her flowers once in a while and to take care of the bill while on a date. Russian women like men who are polite, courteous and respectful.
Intelligence. Education is very important in Russia and most women (and men) have college degrees. Russian women like intelligent men and even though having a degree is not required, ignorance is not appreciated. It is important to learn some basic information about Russia before you start a relationship, because comments like “I know all Russia is very cold” and “All Russians love vodka” can turn a woman off.
Kindness. One of the main reasons why Russian woman like Western men is because it is believed that they are kind, they love children and are usually great fathers. Many Russian guys love children, but they are usually less engaged in raising them than Western men. If for some reason you don’t like kids and don’t want to have them, you may want to discuss it with a Russian woman prior to starting a relationship. Otherwise, it can turn into a problem later.
Strength. Russian women like when their men are the head of the household (this is why they like them to be smart). They prefer strong men with will-power, who know what they want from life and who know how to achieve it. They want their men to be able to take care of their women and families (not necessarily financially, even though in Russia it is common for a man to earn more money than a woman) and to protect them if necessary.
Generosity. The ideal man in a Russian woman’s terms should be generous. It doesn’t mean that Russian women are materialistic, but they do like attention, which in Russian culture is often given in a form of gifts. Gifts don’t have to be expensive, because as they say in Russia, it is not the gift that counts, but the attention. When a guy is dating a girl in Russia, he is expected to get her flowers, candy or other “signs of attention”. It is a part of Russian culture and many Russian women are aware that Western cultures might be different, but if you want to win her heart, small thoughtful gifts and flowers will definitely help you.
Of course Russian women also don’t like men who are abusive, rude, selfish, self-centered or have problems with alcohol, but you don’t need to be an expert in Russian-American relationships to figure these out.
