Thai-Farang Marriages - Do I have to Support the Whole Family?

Question: My USAF friend who married a Thai woman once told me “when you marry a Thai, you wind up supporting all of her relatives back home”. What’s the reality?

Answer:

Golf and I still do that to send money to her parents and sister. When you are married to a Thai woman you are married to her whole family. Some take it farther than others including aunts, uncles, and cousins.

As far as Golf is concerned we help her parents and occasionally her sister. For her parents it is maybe 10,000-20,000 Bt every few months and about the same for her sister. Really though when you think about it her sister is in grad school so I don’t think it’s much difference than here. Although usually it is the parents helping the student here in the US.

The thing is that for Thai culture it is the daughter’s responsibility to care for her parents and to take care of their needs especially as they get older. Keep this in perspective though. Like I said we send maybe 10,000 a month total and as you know that is a monthly salary for a Thai woman in Bangkok.

In the provinces cost are about 50% of what they are in Bangkok so 10,000 Bt in the provinces of Thailand is enough to support a Thai couple easily. Certainly I don’t think it would support you or I, but let’s face it we’re spoiled :>)

What I’m trying to say is that it is good and expected that you help the family, but you have to understand what is enough and set some limits. I was lucky in that Golf pretty much set the limits and in fact it is money from her salary that she now sends for her family.

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