Filipina Wives Wanted In The Faroe Islands

There’s a shortage of women in the Faroe Islands, so local men are increasingly seeking wives from further afield – Thailand and the Philippines in particular.

There are now more than 300 women from Thailand and Philippines living in the Faroes.

It doesn’t sound like a lot, but in a population of just 50,000 people they now make up the largest ethnic minority in these 18 islands, located between Norway and Iceland.

In recent years, the Faroes have experienced population decline, with young people leaving, often in search of education, and not returning.

Women have proved more likely to settle abroad.

As a result, according to Prime Minister Axel Johannesen, the Faroes have a “gender deficit” with approximately 2,000 fewer women than men.

This, in turn, has lead Faroese men to look beyond the islands for romance.

Many, though not all, of the Asian women met their husbands online, some through commercial dating websites.

Others have made connections through social media networks or existing Asian-Faroese couples.

Officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroes have their own language (derived from Old Norse) and a very distinctive culture – especially when it comes to food.

Fermented mutton, dried cod and occasional whale meat and blubber are typical of the strong flavours here, with none of the traditional herbs and spices of Asian cooking.

And, although it never gets as cold as neighbouring Iceland, the wet, cool climate is a challenge for many people.

A good summer’s day would see the temperature reach 16°C.

Prime Minister Johannesen says helping the newcomers overcome this is something the government takes seriously.

“The Asian women who have come in are very active in the labour market, which is good.” he says.

“One of our priorities is to help them learn Faroese, and there are government programmes offering free language classes.”

In an age when immigration has become such a sensitive topic in many parts of Europe, Faeroes society seems remarkably accepting of foreign incomers.

“I think it helps that the immigrants we have seen so far are mostly women,” says local politician Magni Arge, who also sits in the Danish parliament.

“They come and they work and they don’t cause any social problems.

“But we’ve seen problems when you have people coming from other cultures into places like the UK, in Sweden and in other parts of Europe – even Denmark. 

“That’s why we need to work hard at government level to make sure we don’t isolate people and have some kind of sub-culture developing.”

Antonette Egholm, originally from the Philippines, hasn’t encountered any anti-immigrant sentiment.

“People here are friendly,” she explains. “And I’ve never experienced any negative reactions to my being a foreigner. I lived in metro Manila and there we worried about traffic and pollution and crime. 

“Here we don’t need to worry about locking the house, and things like healthcare and education are free. At home we have to pay. 

“And here you can just call spontaneously at someone’s house, it’s not formal. For me, it feels like the Philippines in that way.”

Likewise, her husband Regin believes increasing diversity is something that should be welcomed not feared.

“We actually need fresh blood here,” he adds. “I like seeing so many children now who have mixed parentage. Our gene pool is very restricted, and it’s got to be a good thing that we welcome outsiders who can have families.”

Source: BBC News