Life for Thai women in Denmark not quite a fairy tale. Tough new immigration laws in Denmark, a tougher economic climate, cold weather and stereotyping are some of the challenges facing Thai women in Denmark. A small business man in Denmark has moved to Thailand while denouncing his home country as 'no place to live' following years of financial struggle during which the Dane and his Thai wife came close to losing their home in Copenhagen. In a week when the Thai economy was voted the 'happiest world economy' to live in, Bernd Jaspersen says that he has 'absolutely no regrets' having already spent 6 months living in Thailand.
The Danish man and his Thai wife, Nan, took a short holiday from Denmark to Thailand early in after spending five years struggling to make ends meet following the financial crisis in Europe. The turning point in their life came when they met fellow plane passengers at the boarding area Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport for the flight home to Copenhagen.
We were sitting there looking at all these terribly unhappy people like ourselves also after we had lived for four glorious weeks in Thailand among carefree and happy people, we could both feel it, it was like a sensation, we wanted to cry, it was emotional,' he says.
But Bernt's disillusionment with Denmark wasn't born there. It began not long after his wife Nan arrived to live in Copenhagen with him. Bernd ran a small graphic design and packaging business on the outskirts of the Danish capital.
This is a common problem for Thai women arriving in European countries. In worldwide surveys Thai universities do not seem to rank highly and degrees are not recognised in many European countries. But, unfortunately, many Thai women who marry foreigners in countries like Denmark and Germany find it becomes an important issue. Often there is no real alternative but to simply retrain and in the meantime, take whatever employment is available.
