The Single Western Woman's Guide to Thailand

I've been in Thailand for five years and, for most of that time, I've been single. This actually isn't as unusual as it sounds as most of the Western women I meet here are single. Also, at least 30% of the Thai women my age are single too. Thai men have a reputation of having three or four girlfriends, even when they're married, so many Thai women are sick of it. Now many Thai women are making their own money, so they don't need men. Hence the lower than normal marriage rate and the higher than normal divorce rate. Being a single Western woman in Bangkok is becoming part of the norm.

Being a single Western woman in Bangkok is wonderful though. Bangkok is one of the world's safest cities, and Thai men are actually quite shy. So you're not likely to be shouted at or have catcalls directed at you like you would in most Western cities. Even if Thai men find you attractive, it takes them a long time to come up to talk to you. So harassment is never an issue here.

Western women (or 'Farang Women, as they're called here) are treated much better than Western men too. Thailand, unfortunately, gets more than its fair share of Western men who are pedophiles, sexpats, running from the law or just plain losers. A lot of Thais in Bangkok have had so many problems with Western men that they avoid them. Western women, on the other hand, rarely seem to cause problems, so we're treated well here. We also often get paid more if we teach here as, again, the Thai schools have had so many problems with Western male teachers, they jump at the chance to hire a Western woman. (Of course, occasionally there will be problems with a Western woman teacher - we had one at my school who ended up in a Thai mental institution from doing illegal drugs - but overall most problems are with Western men and not Western women).

But what does a single Western woman do in Bangkok? Believe me, there isn't enough time in the day for everything available here.