A major factor contributing to the health problems of Russian men as opposed to Russia dating brides is the difficulty of adapting to a market economy. Men who formerly had no trouble supporting their families on a decent level are now struggling at or below the poverty line. Men in professions that used to be privileged and revered - teachers, doctors, scientists - can barely make ends meet, and the shock is nasty. Those who are young, well-educated and enterprising enough may have an opportunity to turn to business. But for the others, there seems to be no place.

  Many women have trouble understanding men's failure to adapt. Russia dating brides assert "A real man is someone who has managed to get his bearings in this new life. To this day, men are still living in comparison with yesterday… If you have already found your bearings, you want to snap your fingers in front of the guy's face and say: 'dear, we have lived for a very long time in another world, you've got to understand it, you have to adapt to it.' Moreover, Russia dating brides do not want to hear… that the present day is something different. They assert, "Let's go ahead and act in the present day."