Lot's of these mail order brides from other countries are put up for sale by their fathers and money passes from the American man straight to him. They are buying jobless women who live in poor countries and are as subservient to their parents as the man is hoping she'll be to him.
In fact often the family of the women makes a living from part of the money of their daughter or sister abroad.
A former friend of mine had a neighbor who was married with a Thai woman. Both were in their 30s and she already had a son in Thailand from a former relationship with a Thai man. In Germany they had no children. He was a former official who had managed to get a small pension and didn't work anymore.
This German man was rather blowsy with a wild beard. It seems that his wife was not so happy in this marriage. He didn't like Thai food and cooked for himself.
One time we visited a garden party of my friend with this couple. We brought a rice salad with tuna and vegetables, which she enjoyed very much.
They could only make a poor conversation with some English words, but not fluently, since none of them spoke the language of the partner.
During his stays with the wife's family in Thailand he used a padlock to close the fridge, since he was upset that their family used the food which he had bought.
At such an opportunity she 'lost' her passport, obviously for the reason that she could stay in Thailand. But her family who needed her money which she earned in Germany forced her to find her passport, that she could return with her husband to Germany.
