What Are The Characteristics Of Women From Laos? 

The importance of family comes through strongly in Laotian culture, and many Lao families are tight-knit, close, and large. When talking about the family structure in Laos, it’s common to see people living in large familial groups with as many as three generations living under the same roof peacefully; Laotian women and men’s often friendly and caring nature makes this possible. So, when dating a gorgeous Lao woman, be prepared that she may want to introduce you to her family as soon as possible. Try to make a good impression on her family, as there is a good chance that you may end up spending a lot of time with them – mainly since Laos culture follows a matrilocality structure. This fact means that the husband joining the wife’s community is common, whereas in many cases, this is the other way around; as such, you’ll probably be spending a lot of time with your partner’s direct family members! Fortunately, Laos culture often allows women to choose their partners, so you shouldn’t face too much pressure from her family so long as you can demonstrate that you make her happy.

It’s worth considering that women in Laos often tend to marry at a very young age. The minimum legal age for marriage in Laos is 15 years old, and over one-third of young women in Laos match before they reach adulthood at age 18. Concerningly, around 7% of young girls in Laos still marry before they reach the age of fifteen, making the country incredibly high in child marriage rates. This is primarily driven by the traditional mindset of preventing pregnancy out of wedlock, which is still shunned mainly in Lao culture. As such, when dating Laotian women, taking steps to ensure that your relations don’t result in an unplanned pregnancy may be especially important; furthermore, having a physical relationship outside of wedlock as a non-Laotian citizen may be grounds for legal offenses. However, you should never rush into marriage just for the sake of it; always try to check that your new Laotian partner is genuinely the right person for you (and you for her) before you take this next stage in your relationship.

Of course, starting a family will likely come up at some point between you and your Laotian partner. As mentioned, you must not create a family with a Laotian woman until you enter wedlock with her as a foreign resident; however, it is still highly shunned in Lao culture, even if you obtain Lao citizenship to have a child out of wedlock. The number of children in Laotian families is slowly declining; in 2020, the number of children born per woman fell to around 2.58, indicating that many families have multiple children. However, this is much lower than in the previous decade, when the fertility rate for Laotian women was 3.14 children per woman. As such, when settling down with your gorgeous new Laotian partner, be sure you’re ready for a relatively large family – or discuss this with her first.

Education is becoming increasingly crucial in Laotian culture, although the achievement score is somewhat lacking. Based on the country’s income and estimates made by the Human Rights Measurement Initiative, it only achieves about 74.0% of its total education expectations. While primary education in Laos is generally well catered for, reaching around 84% of expectations, secondary education is substantially lower at just 64%. It is worth keeping in mind that although education in Laos is well-attended, with net primary enrolment at 98.7%, there is still significant room for investment and development in Laotian education. Still, the enrolment has increased substantially over the last decade or so, which indicates that the country is beginning to make changes to improve the overall level of engagement with public education systems.

Education in Laos is compulsory from the age of five years, primarily in line with most other countries internationally. Another similarity between Lao education and further education systems is that the school year typically runs between September and June, akin to many other countries’ systems. Interestingly, though, Laos culture demands that all education be completed in Lao only, even though Lao is only the first language for around half of the children born there. In previous generations, French education was much more common in the country. Notably, only about 77.6% of students successfully transition from primary to secondary education, and there are far fewer secondary education institutions in the country than primary education. This may be due to the prevalence of primary schools within rural village settings; however, secondary schools are typically far between, meaning secondary students may also need to travel further to attend school daily.

In many cases, young men and women in Laos drop out of school after completing primary education to enter the world of work. There are plenty of opportunities for employment within Laos, and only around 2.6% or less of the population is unemployed at any one time (which was an all-time high observed in 1992). However, this may be because the average income in Laos is meager; the minimum wage of 1.2 million LAK monthly might sound high, but this only equates to approximately £60 per month. As such, with the highest average income in LAK of around 7.8 million LAK per month or roughly 90 million LAK per year, most people in Laos are only on a salary of approximately £4000 per year or so. Therefore, before you decide to move to Laos, it’s essential to consider whether you can afford it. Fortunately, since men and women in Laos are given equal rights, it’s common for many Laos women to also work alongside their partners to help support the household income overall. Therefore, while this may not necessarily bring in much more revenue, it can help reduce household financial difficulties. This is especially true as Laotian women continue to become more driven and inspired to enter the world of work.

As is typical in many Asian countries, the most predominant religion in Laos is Buddhism, which accounts for 66% of the people. However, as a significant difference from most other cultures, the next most common religion in Laos is the Tai folk religion, which around 30% of people follow. Notably, this religion includes themes from both Buddhism and animist beliefs, making it a comprehensive form of religion, sometimes also having inspirations from Hindu teachings. As such, Laos’s religion significantly differs from other countries, even South Asia’s. This can be highly unique to consider as part of your decision to move to Laos. Still, while these two religions largely dominate the overall level of religion in Laos, other minority religions are also present, which account for a small proportion of the population. Around 22,000 Buddhist monks live in the country and reside in Buddhist temples, and around 450 Buddhist nuns, many of whom are widowed older women.

The role of Buddhism within the country is influential, which strongly influences many aspects of Laotian life. However, in line with many other Buddhist countries, the most common form of Buddhism in Laos is Theravada Buddhism. This is the oldest school of Buddhism and plays a vital role in global Buddhist teachings. In addition, several smaller Mahayana Buddhist temples are located throughout the country’s capital city, and a handful more are found in more rural villages. These are primarily there to cater to the needs of Buddhists of Vietnamese heritage, considering the proximity to Vietnamese and Chinese borders. Laos culture is so focused on Buddhism that its national symbol is the Pha That Luang, or Golden Stupa, which is dedicated to Buddhism. However, the country’s history is not purely Buddhist; for example, several ancient Hindu temples are still scattered around Laus. These ancient temples date back to the Khmer Empire between the 800s and 1400s AD. During this period, the country was ruled by a significantly Hindu-Buddhist empire, which may have influenced the modern trend toward Tai folk religion in Laus.

There are approximately 48 minority religions within Laos, although this account for only around 5% of the total population of less. The biggest single minority religion is Christianity, for which the most significant proportion are Protestants; in total, around 100,000 protestant followers live in Laos, followed by approximately 45,000 Roman Catholics. Finally, only about 1,000 Seventh-day Adventists live in the country. As such, there is a relatively large dispersal between the different Christian teachings in Laos, although these individuals primarily originate from migrant populations, such as people coming from Vietnam. Other notable minority religions include the Baha’i Faith, with about 8000 followers, and Islam, with around 400 followers. However, compared to other religions within Laos, these are significantly smaller and less catered to than other faiths. This fact becomes especially apparent when we consider that almost 5,000 Buddhist temples are found across Laos, significantly overwhelming the number of temples for other faiths.

In Laotian culture, women are considered legally equal to men, although gender equality is not always apparent. Indeed, depending on the metrics used to assess equality, Laos scores very differently in its overall gender equality; for example, the Gender Inequality Index considers Laos the 113th best country for reducing gender inequality. However, when this is measured on the Global Gender Gap Index, Laos is regarded as the 26th best country internationally. Overall, it has a score of 0.748. Assessing gender equality in Laos is not always easy, which is essential to consider before moving to the country. It’s safe to say that Laos culture actively strives to include women, giving them a much more empowered mentality. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement in terms of gender equality in the country. For example, females inheriting from lost family members are unable to manage their inheritance land or businesses, as the husband would instead hold administrative rights over this estate. This issue can be frustrating for many women, which is worth keeping in mind when dating Laotian women.

Aside from gender equality, women in Laos are effortless to get along with. They are often incredibly polite and generous, making spending time with them feel relaxing and soothing. Laotian women often go out of their way to be hospitable to guests, so you can be sure that your new Laotian partner will do her utmost to help you feel welcomed and at home when spending time with her. However, Laotian women can be reserved, quiet, and shy, so you may need to spend a little time with your new Laotian partner to encourage her to open up with you a little more. However, it’s safe to say that many people find this shy trait of Laotian women adorable – and, with their large eyes and small frames, it’s clear that women from Laos are very timid in their overall characteristics. They tend to keep themselves to themselves at the outset, but don’t worry; with time, your new Laotian partner will surely open up to you.

You may also be surprised to learn that, despite the move toward gender equality, many Laotian women are highly traditional in their behaviors and beliefs. They often still follow highly patriarchal roles in the house, and while a growing number of women from Laos are working, they still tend to readily fall into the mindset of a homemaker. Therefore, they always work tirelessly to do their all at every opportunity; many Laotian women are very respectful, caring, and loving, making them often excellent partners for people moving to Lao. Their loyalty and honesty are highly admirable traits that have helped many people find their ideal partner in Laos. In short, finding a Laotian partner is a perfect dream if you want to settle down and have a relaxed, peaceful life.