Kaczynski blames women who drink too much for low birth rate in Poland

MADRID, 6 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The "strong man" of Poland's ultra-conservative ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has blamed young women who drink too much for the country's low birth rate.

"There will be no babies if girls, young women, continue to drink like boys until they are 25 years old," Kaczynski said this Saturday during an act of the Law and Justice (PiS) party held in Elk, in northeastern Poland, to the laughter of the attendees. Kaczynski, 73, is still single and has had no children.

"The place in Poland where there are fewer children is Warsaw, so it is not only an economic issue, but also a question of people's attitude, especially women," he added, according to the Bloomberg news agency.

This outburst is the latest in a long series of high-sounding interventions in recent weeks with the opposition, the trans community or Germany on target. Kaczynski is touring small towns in the country as a pre-campaign for the general elections scheduled for October 2023.

Poland's birth rate is below that of the EU and last year saw its largest population drop since World War II. The data also reveals that more children are born in urban areas, including Warsaw.

In addition, statistics suggest that women drink significantly less than men, according to data from the Polish Agency for the Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems. 10 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 29 drink more than 7.5 liters of alcohol a year and most are single, unemployed or students from big cities.

The deputy of the opposition Civic Platform Barbara Nowacka has indicated on Twitter that Kaczynski's statements show how far he is from the reality of "women, our plans, dreams and lives."

The PiS came to power in 2015 thanks in part to its promises of aid for births and large families. Since then, Poland has imposed a near-total ban on abortion, met with massive street protests and criticism from other European countries. Now the electoral expectations of the PiS are in question due to the crisis of the cost of living.