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Before opening the topic of Russian men, it's necessary to take in some statistics. In 2004, the population of the Russian Federation was 143,782,338. This distribution of gender is 49,534,076 males and 52,958,107 females from the age of 15-64. So it's easy to see that in the marriage age bracket women significantly outnumber men. Also according to the statistics, women here live longer than men, from ten to fifteen years longer on average. In the previous article, we discovered a lot of interesting details about Russian women. What they are like, how they think… But how about Russian men? Why is it that Russian women are eager to marry foreigners? Are their native men that bad?
 In fact they are. And at the same time they are not. What a confusing thing, one can think… There are a few main ideas which can help explain Russian men. Fundamentally, they are not any different from Europeans or Americans. The men living in the large cities are well educated, mostly in technical specialties. Many work in big companies and are busy with careers, many men are working with computers or computer programming, some work in the sales departments of big stores or firms, also men do most of the public transportation driving. The younger generation is very career orientated and they are eager to live a good and comfortable life. To achieve this, they are ready to study and work hard. As a matter of fact, in the major Russian cities of today, the situation is not so bad and the younger generation has the possibility to have quite a comfortable life.
Unfortunately, in the smaller cites and villages life is completely different. There is much less opportunity and life is very dull. The salaries are very low. Younger people try to go to the big cities to get a better job and a more interesting life… But it is very complicated since in Russia we still have a registration law that makes people have to prove they have a place to live before they can work there. In Russia it is very hard to pick up and move to another city in search of work! Thus, only the strongest and smartest can survive in the big city. The others stay in the smaller cities cut off from opportunity. This fuels alcoholism. Everyone is drinking, sometimes women do also. The level of education is quite low; people are depressed and unhappy with their lives. This situation is very hard for the men because they are the traditional head of the family and the primary provider, being unable to fulfill this role generates a lot of stress and depression for them. These negative feelings and this sense of little or no worth are often expressed in alcoholism.
The same goes for the older generation in a way. They lived most of their lives in the Soviet period, when life was completely different from how it is now. They used to work, but not necessarily very hard. They knew that there was little choice between foods and goods and pretty much the same level of salaries. They didn't have to compete; they just lived their lives and tried to make the most of simple things, such as nature for example. As one can see the older generation obviously is experiencing trouble orientating to the new life in Russia. Not many of them adjusted well to the new circumstances. This has caused a lot of suffering. Since many men in the older generation are well educated, they do not drink as much as men do in the villages, but this doesn't mean that they are happy.
 So as we see, life in Russia is tough for men nowadays. They feel responsible for providing for their families, but in many cases they just don't have the opportunity. So from time to time they become aggressive, they become alcoholics, they become depressed. But this doesn't mean that they are bad. Usually they are well educated and kind hearted as well, they can be as romantic as any men from any country and even more! They can deeply understand a woman with her different way of thinking and taking in the world. They can provide the best love and care. They can be the head of the family and at the same time respect the woman and her desires and needs. Many men in Russia have a great sense of humor and they can really have fun. Russian men can be very good friends, can be honest and very brave. So if it would not be for the troubles Russia has suffered through all the times - Russian men could probably win the title of the best men in the world. But you definitely can start discovering that for yourselves!
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