Slavic women: on living in the West

I have spoken to several Slavic ladies who live in the West. They have shared their observation and thoughts with me.

The cultural differences between Australia and the US:

Outwardly, Australian culture and American culture appear quite similar. Both are mostly of Caucasian/Anglo-Saxon ancestry and share English heritage and language. They are relatively young cultures that grew through immigration during their early years, and follow well known and understood legal traditions and governance systems.

Both Australia and the United States were started as British colonies; the United States for its economic/trade value and Australia as a prison colony. Settlers of the two nations eventually conquered rough and unfriendly terrain by overpowering the indigenous and working the land for mining and farming.

Over time, the United States and Australia have maintained an excellent political relationship, with Australia backing every US military intervention, including the most recent in Iraq and its continued presence in Afghanistan. In 2011, both nations celebrated the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS treaty, the formal statement of each country’s military commitment to one another.

Slavic women’s take on common stereotypes:

Stereotypes are generalizations about a group of people which we use to give a set of characteristics to the group. These classifications can be positive or negative, such as when various nationalities are stereotyped as friendly or unfriendly.

The purpose of stereotypes is to help us know how to interact with others. Each classification has connections and language that we use to interpret what they are saying, decide if they are good or bad, and choose how to respond to them (or not).

It is easier to create stereotypes when there is a clear and consistent characteristic that can easily be recognized. This is why people of different skin color, police and women are so easily stereotyped.

We often accept stereotypes from other people. This helps us agree on how to understand and act towards various groups of people in a consistent way.

People from stereotyped groups can find this very disturbing as they experience a feeling of being treated unfairly.

Slavic women’s views on being married to western men:

According to Slavic women that we have interviewed, western men generally value education very much.

“My husband says if he has money, he would spend money on his education. If he doesn’t have money, he can still find a way to learn for free,” says Anna, a Slavic lady who is married to an Australian man, “He understands the importance of education because knowledge is power. Every successful guy that I am aware of values education and learning. This is not really about going to the best university in the world; usually, it’s just about learning practical hands-on skills in life.”

“I’m a very lucky woman because I am married to an artistic man,” says Maria, a Slavic lady who is married to an American man, “He loves concerts, art galleries and book clubs. He doesn’t follow what is trending or what is in.”