Do Thai women only care about money?

January 17, 2020 - Reading time: 6 minutes
Updated: August 20, 2024

Here is an interesting question that I was asked recently: Do Thai women only care about money? I’m sure that this is a sensitive topic for men involved with Thai ladies and even Thai ladies themselves. Of course, there is no single answer to this question and I am careful to avoid making sweeping generalizations with this answer. Instead I have provided some tips and pointers on assessing your partner’s financial situation which can help you to answer this question yourself and understand whether their motive for a relationship with you is purely monetary.

All women are different

Many Westerners have married educated Thai women with university degrees and solid careers. For the most part, a good education is needed in Thailand in order to secure a decent, livable wage and a long term career. If your partner is financially stable and able to support herself without you then it’s less likely she is only interested in your money.

By contrast, if you met your girlfriend in a beer bar, a go-go bar, massage parlor, night club or somewhere similar where she earns around the Thai minimum wage then you are on far shakier ground. If the lady has learned to speak English in a beer bar (or a similar place), for the sole purpose of interacting with customers and likely with the goal of gaining a foreign boyfriend; then suffice it to say that the lady might be more financially driven into the relationship.

Ask yourself: Did your partner learn to speak English at school? Or was she driven to pick up the language in order to earn more money? 

Examine her circumstances 

When you’re examining the financial circumstances of your Thai girlfriend, it’s important to take a long hard look at the lady’s situation in order to understand her finances. 

Generally in Thai culture the daughter of the family is responsible for supporting her parents. Of course, if the lady was born into a wealthy family then this won’t be as true compared with women that are from poorer rural farming communities. If her parents are not wealthy, then ask yourself if she has any sisters that might also be able to help support them. Is she their only daughter? Do her parents have any means of income? Are they even upholding this generalization and asking for support from their daughter?

Critically, you need to find out if she has any children. Raising kids isn’t cheap in any part of the world and this will be another mouth for her (and ultimately you) to feed.

Asking key questions early on in a relationship can help to build up a picture of the lady’s financial circumstances, and ultimately if she is likely to end up relying on you for help with money. 

It’s also common for us to hear stories about women (or their parents) that have significant debt. It’s unlikely that your girlfriend will be upfront about being responsible for large debt repayments early on in the relationship. Ask yourself: Is her property (or her family’s property) in a good state of repair? Is it a nice home or a glorified cow shed? Did her family have enough money to pay for this property and the land that it sits on, or have they yet to pay for it?

Another question to ask your Thai girlfriend early on in the relationship would be how much money she expects as a dowry (or sin sod) payment... If she demands a huge amount of cash to get married then you should start to question her motives.

Be realistic

I have spoken with many foreign guys that are simply not realistic about the situation with their girlfriends. For example, many guys are in relationships with bar girls and refuse to send their girlfriend any money. The lady has children to support and earns less than 10,000 THB per month. Well, it’s highly likely that under these circumstances that the woman will leave the bar with customers in order to earn enough money to support herself and her family. Being in denial about this isn’t going to help either of you. If the numbers don't add up then something has to give.

Take a look at your partner’s financial state and consider whether or not she is capable of supporting herself or whether she will be relying on your contributions to help out. This is ultimately how you can figure out whether your Thai girlfriend only cares about money.

We are able to run checks and traces on Thai people in order to understand their backgrounds and their state financially. Feel free to get in touch with one of our experienced team members for a free quote, remembering to include all relevant details about yourself and your partner with your inquiry.

Learn more about background checks in Thailand.

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