Wives wanted: Faroe Islands running out of women
With six months of winter every year, you can’t blame the men on Faroe Islands for wanting a woman in their lives but there’s just one problem – there’s not enough.
The shortage of women in the Denmark-based islands means the men are increasingly seeking wives from the likes of Thailand and Philippines in particular.
The already humble 50,000 population is further declining, meaning there are approximately 2000 less women than men.
This in turn has seen the Faroese men broaden their search for a romantic partner, well online at least.
More than 300 women left their tropical southeast Asian climate for the windswept Faroe Islands after meeting their partners through commercial dating sites.
"I had my concerns, because everything she was leaving and everything she was coming to were opposites," Jan Slaetalid said after meeting his wife Athaya online.
The pair is now a trio after the birth of their son Jacob but Athaya conceded that the transition took some getting used to, which included learning the Faroese language.
"The other villagers are older people and mostly don't speak English. People our age were out at work and there were no children for Jacob to play with," Athaya said.
But as more and more women from her native Thailand touch down, Athaya said she and her young family are learning to love it.
"Jacob plays next to the beach. He is surrounded by hills covered in sheep and exposed to nature and his grandparents live just up the road,” she added.
“There is no pollution and no crime, not many kids have that these days - this could be the last paradise on earth."
