So true. I grew up in SE Asia and although women there are not as independent as the ones in the west, they can be pretty passive aggressive/manipulative/controlling in the household. One may not notice it right away, but once you're married or have been with them for a while, you'll start noticing that.

That's why there's the saying in my country that roughly translates to something like "Woman is key of the household (because she keeps all the money)". One of the traditional duties (there are five of them) of a wife is to control and distribute money in the way that is fair (among family, her parents and in-laws).

Work friend married a Thai American lady. First few years were fine. Then they had a baby girl and his mother in law and aunt's thumb came down hard.