Love or Money: Transnational Marriage of Laotian Women and Thai Men in Border Area

Abstract

At present the marriage between a Laotian women and
Thai men in the border area has increased. The phenomenon
becomes more complicated. The small number of studies on
such phenomenon result in solving the problem, dealing with
the problem, and making laws and regulations. This study
aimed at investigating factors involved in the transitional
marriage between Laotian women and Thai men in the border
areas. The qualitative data collected included life history of 9
Laotian women who have married to Thai men since 2539 B.E.
and they married to/lived together with Thai men more than 2
years. The selecting methods were considered through the
marriage pattern diversity or family life of Laotian women and
Thai men, the data were gathered by an in-depth interview
and the observations. The study found that main factors that
influenced Laotian women to marry Thai men were incomes
and rights to do forbidden jobs for migrant workers a migrant
workers, they cannot do any businesses. They need Thai men
to register business for them. They also want Thai men raise
them because their husbands have their own business and
income. They expect the good life according to the traditional
value. The last factor that Laotian women married to Thai
men is love and family. There were four supporting factors,
namely, the limited choice of jobs in Thailand for Laotian
women, insufficient income, social stigma against married
women, safety to stay in Thailand, and transboundary
marriage networks with role models who were successful in
having Thai husbands to support the meeting and building
their patron-clients relationships and make friends with Thai men.