You’ve heard the rumors going around. Ukrainian women are gold diggers. Dating Ukrainian women is just a scam. They are just opportunists looking to take you for everything you own. Is that really true? Why are Ukrainian women dating in the United States? And why don’t they have an interest in Ukrainian men? 

Let’s take a look at what Tatiana Vorozhko (pictured above) has to say about marrying a U.S. citizen. She is originally from Kyiv (or Kiev), the capital city of Ukraine. Most of her friends in Washington D.C. are mixed couples of Ukrainian women who married Western men. 

Is it Really About Money?

Firstly, do most women want to find a man that is pretty well off? Of course. That desire doesn’t just pertain to Ukrainian women; it pertains to most women who want more out of life. It’s difficult to build something with someone who just doesn’t have a firm hold of their finances. And some women even marry a guy who doesn’t have it quite together because she can see his potential (Ukrainian women included). But as Tatiana puts it, “nobody goes into a lifelong union determined to stay poor forever.”

"It’s not about the money, it’s about partnership."

~Tatiana Vorozhko

Universal Relationship Wants

So if it’s not about the money, why are Ukrainian women dating in the United States? The same reasons that most people like to date: for passion, physical attractiveness, sexual connection, deep friendship and love, just to name a few. These are universal relationship wants that don’t pertain to just one culture. It is yearned for by everyone and if anyone tells you those things don’t matter to them, they’re lying. 

Gender Traps for Ukrainian Women

Interestingly enough, Tatiana studied journalism at Ohio University and saw firsthand how girls from the former Soviet Union picked up local trends. Why? Because as Maya Angelou so eloquently states, they were ready to “grab the world by the lapels” and make something of themselves. In Ukraine, the traditional gender trends just don’t advocate for strong women. Instead, Ukrainian women are expected to be less educated than men and completely dependent on them. And do you think the Ukraine gender roles allow Ukrainian women to make their own decisions regarding their own lives? Of course not. 

And do you know what happens if these women do stand up for themselves in Ukraine? They get heavily criticized. Tatiana experienced this criticism firsthand when she broke up with a young guy in Kyiv. She worked longer hours, contributed more to their household and still had to do all of the housework alone. She couldn’t stand for it anymore and dumped him. Were older women in her circle supportive of her decision? No way. They said that “because he didn’t drink, didn’t beat [her] and didn’t screw around, he was supposed to be good enough for [her]. Talk about a different mentality. 

Chances of Getting Married

First comes love, then comes…you know what comes next. When it comes to getting married, why are Ukrainan women dating in the United States? Well, when a well-educated woman in Ukraine spends her early twenties building her career, she’s likely to end up single. A woman that is 25 years old without a family in Ukraine is considered a loss. Do you think a Western man would consider a career-driven 25 year old woman a loss? No way, he probably be even more attracted to her. And women who have children later in life are not frowned upon in the United States. Is the Ukrainian women and foreign men union making more sense now?

"This is not about chasing money. This is pursuit of happiness." 

~Tatiana Vorozhko

All in all, happiness is desired by everyone and genuinely experienced by few. Ukrainian women are now seeking love outside of Ukrainian borders. And many have found what they’ve been looking for. It’s natural to be skeptical of love, but if you open your heart, all the possibilities will be able to flow in.