Foreigners’ wives Cross-cultural marriage of rural Thai women in Isan, Thailand

The purpose of the study was twofold: 1) To study the background of cross-cultural marriage in Isan, Thailand; 2) To study cross-cultural marriage rituals of Isan women, Thailand. The study was carried out from February 2012 to February 2014 and was conducted in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Nong Khai provinces. The research sample was composed of 80 individuals. The data collection tools were survey, interviews, observations and focus-group discussions. Results found that the main reason for Isan women marrying foreign men was poverty. They not only wanted to raise family income, but also reciprocate their parents for raising them. As for the foreign men, all had been married before. Some had divorced their former wives, some sons or daughters and some had health problems. Most foreign men were impressed by the good care provided by Isan women, who also had no debt burden. Prior to their marriage with foreign men, most Isan women in the research sample used to work in restaurants in Bangkok, Phuket or other tourist areas. The study found that most weddings followed Isan traditions. The parents, seniors, and relatives participating in the wedding ceremony were seen as witnesses. The bride’s parents received a dowry in cash. Most newly wedded Isan women went to live abroad with their husbands. Their children from previous marriages often went to live with their grandparents. Although many couples have successful marriages, some may experience problems later on. Further study should concern these problems.

Keywords – Ceremony, cross-cultural marriage, Isan, wedding.