Marriage migration report (part 1)
In October 2014, the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) published a report on marriage migration. Below follows - spread over 2 parts - a summary with the focus on the Thailand related texts.
Personally, I find the content very recognizable. I want to get a closer look at the size and composition of Thai in the Netherlands, but that will take some work and time. This report gives a good idea of who is now coming to the Netherlands from Thailand and what they are struggling with. The texts below are the findings of the SCP.
Marriage migrants come from a wide range of countries
While the number of migration marriages of people of origin in the Netherlands has decreased in the last ten years, the number of mixed migration marriages is increasing. The lion's share of mixed migration marriages consists of marriages of indigenous men. Popular countries of origin of their partners, such as the former Soviet Union and Thailand, have been high in the top 10 of 'suppliers' of marriage migrants for years. Marriage migrants come from a large number of countries. In the period 2007-2011, nearly 40.000 marriage migrants came to the Netherlands. Of these, 30.000 people come from a top 20 countries. Turkey and Morocco provide the most marriage migrants, with over 5000 and almost 4000 respectively (in the period 2007-2011). With about 2500 marriage migrants from the former Soviet Union and about 1800 from Thailand, these countries occupy third and fourth place in the ranking.
Marriage migrants are often older than 30 and are often female
About half of the marriage migrants are older than 30 years upon arrival in the Netherlands. This is especially true for migrants from Thailand, Ghana, Indonesia, the US, Iraq, the Philippines and the former Soviet Union. This could indicate that marriage migration takes place after a previous marriage in the country of origin. This is in line with findings from the interviews. Many more women (over 70%) than men come to the Netherlands as marriage migrants. This is especially true for the former Soviet Union, Thailand, Indonesia, China and Brazil. They often come to the Netherlands because of a native Dutch partner. This applies to almost 80% of the Thai and Filipino marriage migrants who came to the Netherlands in the period 2007-2011.
Romantic vacation
Particularly in the case of holiday romance, it is not always clear how deliberately the sponsor and/or the marriage migrant approached a relationship and a marriage as a result of the holiday romance. After all, there are also holiday destinations that have the reputation that local women and men prey on tourists especially with a view to marriage, in order to emigrate. For men, such destinations include Thailand, Cuba, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Indonesia. They are also in the list of 'bride donor countries' and sex tourism destinations; tourists are aware of the accessibility of the local women (and/or men) and deliberately book holidays to look for a (temporary) partner there.
It is not always clear under what circumstances a sponsor with a woman from a bride donor country met this partner. The partners usually remain vague about this, because the mere mention of the place where they met often evokes unpleasant associations in the audience. Compared to those in non-mixed migration marriages, sponsors and marriage migrants in a mixed migration marriage regularly receive reactions that exceed the limits of decency. These are sometimes packaged as 'joke', making it all the more difficult to respond to. The couples are disturbed by these kinds of comments and attitudes, especially if they come from people on whom they are dependent in some way.
interview 1
Marriage migrant: Okay, how did I get here to the Netherlands? I was in Thailand, I graduated as a journalist, I just had a job there in Bangkok. And my husband, who was divorced at the time, had been for a few years and he went on holiday to Thailand very often. And he thought that was very nice as a holiday destination, so to speak. For vacation, to find a wife, a new partner, I don't know, he'll have to say that himself. We happened to meet somewhere and chatted, just a nice chat and yes, let's keep in touch for friendship and to get to know each other better, so to speak. Then it had started.
To interview: Yes, we initially talked about how you had met in Bangkok.
Marriage migrant: No, that was in [X], that is a seaside resort… a holiday destination, so to speak. Yes, I happened to be there for work. And he was on vacation, yes.
To interview: Yes, you saw each other for one day, or longer?
Marriage migrant: No, one day, just a little while, not even a day.
Referent: Only addresses exchanged.
Marriage migrant: […] The image of Thailand is of course not great either, from the women's stories. Of course they don't know me, who I am and they think: you get someone from Thailand, from the prostitution circuit and then you can get married quickly, that's not nice either. […] So no wonder people think that. Some people ask like, 'Yeah, where did you get her in Pattaya or Phuket and I don't know…' Those are all well-known tourist spots, yes. And coincidentally we also met there, that's true, but I don't live there and I do don't work there either. (Woman of Thai origin, (marriage migrant), man native Dutch (sponsor))
interview 2
Marriage migrant: And I also quite understand that Dutch people think that, because yes, I think 90% or 80% of the Thai women who have come with a Dutch man have met each other through her work, so to speak. You understand what I mean.
Referent: Yes, and that reaction… People [go] a bit far… Or colleagues for a joke, I have also experienced, who say that then you know, as a joke.
Marriage migrant: Yes, where did you get her?
Referent: Yes, but they are a bit out for sensation or negative… They enjoy that or so, I think, they want to see that image.
Marriage migrant: Yes, those are people who really want to believe that.
To interview: And do you feel that it is different now, or do those people who continue to believe that?
Referent: You still have those people.
Marriage migrant: Yes, but I don't think they think that way...
Referent: No, if they've known her longer or something… Then they'll never say that again, of course (native man (sponsor), woman from Thailand (marriage migrant)).
Marriage migrants with a native Dutch sponsor: chances of integration
Marriage migrants with a native Dutch sponsor most often end up in a situation in which there are few members of origin in the area. And the fellow immigrants that do exist are often not quite 'of the right kind': from a different ethnic or religious group, a different social class, level of education or political faction. As a result, the marriage migrants feel little connection with it. The foreign partners of native Dutch people therefore most often feel literally and figuratively 'the only one' in their immediate environment with a comparable situation, most often an outsider in their immediate environment. There are meeting places for migrants from certain origin groups. Mixed couples with a specific mix of backgrounds also find each other (eg native women with a Turkish man or native men with a Thai woman). Contact with other mixed couples (whether or not) with a foreign partner of the same origin is a source of recognition and support, also for the sponsor.
With regard to the living situation of marriage migrants in a mixed migration marriage, one may wonder whether a native Dutch sponsor offers an advantage over a sponsor who himself has a past as a migrant or descendant of migrants. We would expect that in terms of acquiring the Dutch language, contacts with Dutch people and (as a result) acquiring a better socio-economic position. As far as the first two aspects are concerned, there does seem to be a positive effect of a native sponsor: marriage migrants with a native sponsor have more Dutch contacts and speak Dutch more often in daily life. On the other hand, partners of native Dutch people do not do overwhelmingly better on the labor market than other marriage migrants. The education level of the partners appears to play an important role here: if that matches, there is a greater chance that the sponsor has useful contacts that offer the marriage migrant access to a job (at the right level). If there is a big difference between the partners in terms of education level, it is not obvious that a native Dutch sponsor has added value in finding work.
Also for finding your way in the Netherlands, people are not always better off with a native Dutch partner. This person often has little insight into the living environment of a migrant and the problems and frustrations that the marriage migrant has to deal with during his integration process. Also, the native sponsor does not always have the kind of capital and network that offers opportunities to the marriage migrant. People with their own migration experiences can often provide better support in this regard.
End part 1
Source: www.scp.nl/Publicaties/Alle_publicaties/Publicaties_2014/Huwelijksmigration_in_Nederland
Quite nice, such a report, but apart from the interesting figures, not really revealing as far as Thai women are concerned.
What I would like to see investigated is precisely 'the referent', as the Dutch man is called in the report. What kind of people are they, what level of education, what background, age, what motive is there to marry a Thai lady and have them come to the Netherlands?
.
Then the report will be well put together if you and I do not find the contents a surprise.
I think the sponsor profiles are very diverse, from old men with minimum and top income to young men and with all kinds of education. After all, a diverse population also goes on holiday to Thailand. But perhaps certain profiles can be recognized between those who are consciously looking for a Thai/Asian love on the one hand and those who it happens to on the other hand? But I suspect that it is just too diverse to be able to link profiles to this.
About natives (by far the vast majority of Thais have a native partner, a small portion have a Thai partner and a very small portion others), the report writes on pages 148 to 190, but a real profile(s) of whom the native is does not appear:
“Mixed migration marriages: native sponsors have less experience
with migration More and more native Dutch people enter into a relationship or marriage with a partner
from outside the eu. There are clear differences between mixed migration marriages
of indigenous men and that of indigenous women. That difference is mainly located
in the fact that female sponsors target much less than male sponsors
consciously seem to be looking for a partner from across the border. The differences between
'consciously' and 'spontaneously' established migration marriages is further elaborated in
paragraph S.5 (..)
In the procedure, native sponsors are usually confronted for the first time with the restrictions on the freedom of movement of migrants: the fact that they must meet strict conditions to come to the Netherlands and settle here. They think that's unfair and mean it
in the migration policy and in the way in which the Immigration and Naturalization Service (ind) and other authorities handle their file, the message that migrants are not welcome in the Netherlands.
(...)
There is an important distinction between the motives of the one hand
who consciously went looking for a partner from across the border, and those who
fell in love spontaneously during the holiday, the international study or work experience
from one of the partners.
Natives with a migration marriage who deliberately went in search of an
Dutch partners, on the other hand, do not want to marry a fellow countryman. That usually has too
with a preference for partners with a certain appearance or with certain genes
the views they associate with partners from across the border. An exotic look
does not find everyone attractive: some want a partner who is 'different', but who
looks like them. (…) Dutch sponsors who consciously look for a foreign partner nowadays usually do so via the internet.
(..)
Migration marriages that come about spontaneously usually originate in the
cosmopolitan lifestyle of those involved. These stayed because of holiday, (Fri-
voluntary) work or study abroad. They had no intention of
to fall in love or meet a life partner, but it just happened. It's alright
often for relatively highly educated partners who end up in each other's world abroad.
come.”
What nonsense is being proclaimed in this article, 80-90% find their wife in disco / gogo it is actually said.
“I think 90% or 80% of Thai women who have come with a Dutch man have met each other through her work, so to speak”
Nowadays with the internet you just have young adults falling in love with each other. Of course you always have men who have 2-3 age / weight of the Thai partner, but there are really many normal couples.
That is not a finding in the report, but the opinion / statement of 1 of the Thai ladies themselves. In part 2 you will see that quite a few Thais label their fellow Thai as of wrong origin. The report as a whole does not show that the Thai mainly come from the bar, but that there is a lot of variation and relatively many well-educated Thais. However, it is indicated that the interviewed couples often remained vague about how they really met each other. That is a sample of course, a more realistic picture would emerge with more couples. But I can hardly argue with the conclusions of the report.