The Commodification of Marriage: "Mail-Order Brides" in the Electronic Age

This paper explores one of the most controversial developments in today's world: electronic marketing of "mail-order brides." We seek to provide a systematic explanation of this global consumer behavior phenomenon by conducting a content analysis of currently active websites offering mail-order bride services. We also develop a model explaining the transaction process of finding foreign brides in light of the discussion in sociology and marketing literature on morality of market exchange. We propose a theoretical framework for explaining why individuals participate in this process of "commodification of marriage."