Sirkkilä's wonderment at this phenomenon was so great that he resolved to base
his social sciences doctoral dissertation on the subject. The dissertation -
given the English title "Breadwinner or eroticism. How Finnish men legitimatise
their partnerships with Thai women" was examined at the University of Jyväskylä
last Friday.
At present there are roughly 2,000 Thai wives in Finland.
"I wondered how the relationship could work, given the massive cultural,
behavioural, and religious differences, the language problem, and the living
standard differential involved. I also wondered at why it was Thai woman in
particular", explains Sirkkilä.
He responds to his own query directly: "Thai women have been eroticised,
sexualised, and exoticised."
However, in the interviews with males that form the empirical material for the
study, sex did not come through in any dramatic fashion. In the case of older
men, having a Thai wife has livened up their sex-life, but younger respondents
stressed in their interviews the differences between Finnish and Thai sexual
habits and mores. They describe a Thai wife as restrained and with high morals.
Sirkkilä carried out interviews with 18 men in Finnish-Thai married
relationships. Many of them said that they had been interested in Thailand and
its people and culture already before they found a spouse from the country.
Any sex-tourism experiences from earlier visits to Thailand were not spoken
about with any great gusto or willingness.
The beginnings of the relationship that led to marriage were described by the
men generally as "ordinary", without any powerful sense of falling in love. A
few of the men had fallen for and married a prostitute from whom they had
bought sex.
The author categorises the Finnish men with Thai wives into three generational
groups: the oldest, men over fifty, describe their relationship as being a very
traditional one. These men tended to have negative experiences of Finnish women
and of the gender equality that is found locally.
The men expressed satisfaction with the clear division of labour in the new
relationship and with the Thai wife's readiness to dedicate herself to
housework. Such clearly-defined breadwinner-housewife relationships have
hitherto been relatively uncommon in the Finnish experience.
Men in younger middle-age said the relationship rested upon the Finnish sense
of equality between the sexes. The man regards himself as the breadwinner only
temporarily.
Among the youngest Finnish spouses, the interviewees suggested that they took a
"post-modern" flexible view towards gender differences. They are also less
prone to prejudices and stereotypes than their older colleagues.
In the view of many of the subjects, Finnish-Thai relationships do not
generally function smoothly, and they very often end in separation and divorce.
Nevertheless, they described their own relationships as working well enough.
Problems are caused by the lack of a common language and by money-issues, in
particular the fact that money has to be sent back to the wife's family in
Thailand.
The men stressed their commitment to the relationship. Dealing with the Finnish
authorities on matters like the wife's residence permit to live in Finland has
increased their sense of responsibility.
Sirkkilä says that it is not possible to define the specific Finnish male
genotype who would be particularly prone to taking a Thai bride.
He estimates that the spread of Finnish-Thai couple relationships and their
observed generational differences are an indicator of changes in male attitudes
and in masculinity.
Helsingin Sanomat
