Don't Marry A Thai Woman Before Reading This Article
Thai women consider marrying Westerners to improve their living standards and they indeed get a lot of empowerment through such marriages. But what about Western men? Will you gain anything by marrying a Thai woman? Our advice is: don't marry a Thai woman before you finish reading this article.
What will you learn from here?
- How do Thai women differ from their Western counterparts?
- What are the disadvantages and benefits of marrying a Thai woman?
- What is the likelihood that your marriage with a Thai girl will last?
- What to expect from a Thai marriage and life in Thailand?
Are you ready? Let’s go.
Thai woman personality traits
You probably already know that Thai women are extremely attractive. They have porcelain or honey-hued skin, jet-black straight hair, and beautiful dark brown eyes. What about their inner beauty though? Thai women are known to make perfect wives because of their personalities and the way they were raised:
- Thai women are very positive and cheerful. They love smiling and joking. However, it does not always mean they are happy, so you have to be attentive to them.
- Thai girls are agreeable. This is because Thai culture teaches people to be non-conflict and peaceful. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean you can do or say anything to a Thai woman. If she strongly dislikes something, she will tell you one day.
- They are modest and shy. If you offer something to a Thai girl, she will reject, saying «it’s ok» or «whatever». Thai do this out of politeness, but it makes sense to ask her something twice to make sure she doesn’t get upset.
- They are caring and make good mothers. Thai women love taking care of their loved ones, they would do almost anything to please them.
Pros and cons of marrying a Thai woman
Pros
- Thai women are very sweet, positive, and joyful; it’s always a pleasure to be near a life-loving person
- She will always take care of you, no matter what
- Thai women are great cooks, so you will enjoy plenty of delicious Thai delicacies
- They age well, so if appearance is important for you, you will never fall out of love with a Thai woman
- Thai girls are very patient and understanding, make great partners. Also understanding a Thai woman is not a difficult thing to do
- You get a chance to live in Thailand or visit this beautiful country more
Cons
- Leaning Thai might be challenging
- Bride price (sin sod) is very high
- No public display of affection
Will your marriage with a Thai woman last?
Between 2006 and 2016 divorce rates in Thailand spiked from 27% to 39%. It might be a disturbing sign, but the reasons for divorce in Thailand lie in local issues. The divorce rate in Thailand is still 30% lower than in the US, so these statistics are very promising.
What about Thai farang marriage statistics? It is not clear, as Thai courts do not distinguish between Thai-Thai and Thai-foreigner divorce. However, Thai-foreigner divorces happen, and in Thailand are usually filed by women. It’s typically because they did not get a marriage they expected. Here comes the miscommunication issue that almost all international couples face.
If you manage to learn some Thai and if your future wife is willing to learn some English, if you are patient with each other, your marriage will work out. Many Thai-foreigner couples have lived together for 10-15 years, and if you are patient and understanding enough, yours will last too.
Marrying a Thai woman and living in Thailand
What is marrying a Thai woman and living in Thailand like? What is it like to marry her and move to your country? Here you can find the answers.
Thai marriage traditions
All foreigners, interested in marrying Thai women, are concerned about one thing – sin sod, known as the bride price. Sin sod is a sum that a groom is expected to pay to the Thai girl’s parents as compensation for taking her away from them. It does not matter if the girl used to live with her parents, or separated from them and became financially independent – Thai will still expect a bride price. This tradition is very strong, and you cannot get away with it.
Sin sod is a matter of pride in Thailand. Thai people care a lot about what other people say. The scope of sin sod depends on the region of your bride, family status, and so on. Usually, in Thailand bride price is around 50,000-300,000 baht (1,700-10,000 USD), but sometimes parents can demand as much as 1 million baht (~32,300 USD). Sometimes it’s possible to negotiate that the parents return the full sum or part of it after showing it to all people and relatives.
Being with a Thai girl in Thailand
- It is important to impress Thai girl’s parents before marriage. Learn some Thai, how to greet older people without shaking hands (this reminds Indian namaste), and never hug or kiss them, it is not appropriate.
- Be ready that when you are in a relationship with a Thai woman, you cannot kiss or hug her publicly, it all should be for home.
- What about learning Thai? It will be helpful if you learn the language, but if you live in large cities like Bangkok or Phuket, you can survive as a farang (a foreigner).
- Always behave properly in public – Thai care about «saving face». Thus, don’t dress up messy, don’t argue or fight in the streets.
Overall, if you are to marry a Thai woman, better settle in Thailand. It will be easier for you to socialize there than for her in your country. Otherwise, you will have to make a lot of adjustments – find a temple for her, find good Thai food, community, and so on. Thais are very tied to their culture, in contrast to adjustable Westerners, so be ready for some challenges if you decide to bring your woman to your home country.
Summary
Thai women make perfect wives as they are very caring, positive, and agreeable. Divorce rates with Thai women are lower than with, for example, an American lady, so there are high chances you will live a long and happy life with your Thai wife. Be ready for miscommunication problems, which happens a lot in international couples. However, if genuine love is what drives your relationship, you will succeed.