Women’s Rights Group Urges People to Protest after Polish Leader Blames Low Birthrate on Women Drinking Alcohol

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the governing, right-wing Law and Justice political party, leaves the polling station after casting his ballot in the Polish parliamentary elections on October 13, 2019 in Warsaw, Poland. Kaczynski has sparked mockery and anger by blaming the country’s low birthrate on young women overconsuming alcohol. (Photo: Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Poland’s ruling party leader, has sparked mockery and anger by claiming that the country’s low birthrate is partly caused by young women overconsuming alcohol, according to ABC News. On Monday, a women’s rights group urged people to protest in response to the comment.

Kaczynski made the comment on Saturday as he traveled throughout the country rallying support for his party in preparation for next year’s parliamentary election.

“And here it is sometimes necessary to say a little openly, some bitter things. If, for example, the situation remains such that, until the age of 25, girls, young women, drink the same amount as their peers, there will be no children,” said Kaczynski, per ABC News.

Kaczynski, a lifelong bachelor, was accused of being out of touch by opposition politicians and other critics. ABC News noted that these same critics argued Kaczynski is partly responsible for the low birthrate, pointing to increased abortion restrictions that discourage some women from seeking pregnancy. The difficulty of raising families amidst inflation reaching almost 18% was also noted as a possible factor.

Per ABC News, a women’s rights group, enraged at Kaczynski’s comment, called on people to protest in front of the leader’s home in Warsaw on Nov. 28. The date will be the 104th anniversary of women in Poland gaining the right to vote.

Kaczynski claimed that the average man “has to drink excessively for 20 years” to develop alcoholism but “a woman only two.”

“I am really a sincere supporter of women’s equality, but I am not a supporter of women pretending to be men, and men pretending to be women,” Kaczynski said, per ABC News.

In the past, Kaczynski was described as giving “the impression of a person very uncertain about his fate,” according to one of the captains of the Security Service, as reported by Fakt. “He claimed that he was not interested in material matters, women, e.g. he does not care about having a family in the future.”

According to ABC News, the birthrate remark also prompted jokes about alcohol being helpful to conception.

In 2020, the average consumption of alcoholic beverages per capita in Poland equaled 9.6 liters, an increase of 35% compared to 2000, according to Statista. For comparison, Czechia averages 14.26 liters of alcohol consumed per person per year, reported as the highest alcohol consumption in the world, according to Zippia.

It was also reported that in 2022, 10% of Poles stated they drank alcohol every day. Per Statista, 15% of Polish men declared they drank every day while it was recorded at 5% for women.

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