Unmarried Poland’s politician blames women for population crisis
A powerful Polish politician, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, 73, has attributed the country’s falling population to excessive drinking among young women.
Mr Kaczynski who is leader of the ruling Law & Justice party said at a meeting with voters late weekend in Elk, northeastern Poland that the women are causing the country’s population and workforce to shrink due to low birth rate.
It was just the latest in a string of recent broadsides by Kaczynski at targets as varied as Poland’s opposition, its transgender community, and Germany. He’s been touring small towns to bolster support for his party ahead of the general elections expected in October 2023.
“We’re not going to see any babies if girls, young women, continue to drink like their equals until they’re 25,” Kaczynski, 73, who has never married and has no children, said to laughter from the audience.
“The fewest children in Poland are in Warsaw, so it’s not only an economic issue, but also a certain attitude of people, especially women,” he added.
Poland’s fertility rate has been below the European Union’s average and the country last year saw its steepest population drop since World War II. At the same time, the data show more children are now born to women from big-city regions.
Law & Justice rose to power in 2015, in part thanks to its promise of lavish baby bonuses for bigger families. Since then, Poland has imposed a near-total ban on abortions, sparking months of street protests and condemnation from European lawmakers.
The party’s bid for a third consecutive term in office is now looking shaky due to the country’s deepening cost-of-living crisis.
