The reasons and history of wedding rings in Thailand is more complicated than I realized. When I first started at GM in May, I met my coworker who has two children (she is the exception in our office of mostly single women) and noticing that she didn’t have a wedding ring. My marketing coworkers informed me that the wedding ring was required for women, but not for men. I had heard from someone else that in Thai culture it is considered normal for married men to visit brothels—and thus the wedding-ring-less husbands fit the picture. In mind mind, it is easier to fool around at a brothel if people cannot tell you are married.
The story became more complicated, however, when I had dinner with different three guys from the marketing department that informed me that although wedding rings were not part of the Thai culture—there were exceptions. One coworker, a sharply dressed Chinese Thai with strong marketing experience, informed me that his wife made him wear a wedding ring.
My third encounter was with a Jojo, the Thai who returned from graduate school in California, who wore an engagement ring. The topic of conversation came up, and she said that traditionally only one wedding ring was given—to the girl during the wedding ceremony. However, this had changed in the last 15 or 20 years. Now, rings are given to both women and men when they get married, although many choose not to wear their wedding rings on a daily basis.
Interestingly, I found a post card at the Chatuchuk market last Saturday that seemed to support the unclear view of wedding rings. The postcard had lovers holding hands. The woman was wearing a wedding band, but it is not clear if the man was wearing a wedding ring (since his left hand is not shown in the picture). (See the picture above.)
The story became more complicated, however, when I had dinner with different three guys from the marketing department that informed me that although wedding rings were not part of the Thai culture—there were exceptions. One coworker, a sharply dressed Chinese Thai with strong marketing experience, informed me that his wife made him wear a wedding ring.
My third encounter was with a Jojo, the Thai who returned from graduate school in California, who wore an engagement ring. The topic of conversation came up, and she said that traditionally only one wedding ring was given—to the girl during the wedding ceremony. However, this had changed in the last 15 or 20 years. Now, rings are given to both women and men when they get married, although many choose not to wear their wedding rings on a daily basis.
Interestingly, I found a post card at the Chatuchuk market last Saturday that seemed to support the unclear view of wedding rings. The postcard had lovers holding hands. The woman was wearing a wedding band, but it is not clear if the man was wearing a wedding ring (since his left hand is not shown in the picture). (See the picture above.)
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