The Non Governmental Organizations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has attributed the rise in the number of women indulging in alcohol abuse to the high levels of poverty in the country.
According to data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), no nation has harder-drinking women than Zambia, where 41 percent binge drink at least once a week.
NGOCC Board Chairperson, Beatrice Grillo, has told QFM News in an interview that most women are frustrated because things are becoming tougher for them thereby resorting to drinking beer carelessly.
Ms Grillo says it is for this reason that women should be empowered economically so that they desist from such unwarranted vices.
She has since challenged women across the country to look for other ventures that will help them to be stable in life and avoid consumption of alcohol.
And Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) Board Chairperson, Beauty Katebe, says there is need to ensure that bars located in residential areas are closed as this has contributed to alcohol abuse.
Ms Katebe has told QFM News in a separate interview that most women resort to drinking beers because they have nothing to do, adding that if they are empowered, they can not involve themselves in such vices.
Not true! i bottle of beer is more expesive that a meal for a family of five! it because Zambians ar5e lezy and only put leasure first! no inovation in zambia! every one is looking up to goverenment for every thing! make you self busy making change not busy drinking and killing your livers!
drinking is never a solotion! the say God help those who help themselves , how would you know if there are empowerment oportunities if you do not empower yourlsef first? Zambian women need to take Nagerian women for txample, hustle hard but do but in illegal ways ofcauce!
The problem lies with Zambian men. Tamulebafwaya abakashana, so ka machine nga kamushupa ninshi kuyafye mukunwa… ati limbi kuti bantolako abakolelwe. When you have a woman you must love, respect, finance and “do” her properly!!!
@Moscow
mosi lager or castle lager is not the standard measure,,, there is also cheap cheap bulk chibuku and shake shake “good for breast feeding mothers and ma hips (building ma hips) for singles on the market mu komboni“
dont forget to tu jilijili ku chibolya and ku chipata
Common man do not blame the alcohol for all this.In my experience I think alcohol comes because of different reasons.There are career women who drink for status.Honestly I would like to look at the statistical sample which led to this conclusion.This organizations make conclusions based on theories before they prove their hypothesis!
Obviously this writer has never met American co-eds! Binge drinking was not invented by Zambian women, believe me!
Mistreatment by their men cause Zambian women to drink. Most Zambian wives have never been on a date with their husband, only to a funeral maybe
@Nubian, Dates culture yalifika pa Zambia. Now there is a “going to dinner”. In fact most of dates we do in Zambia is to a bar. We buy beer for women, and if wanna prove your worth kumya crate. 24 bottles mumies, you even step on it!!.
Abana twasha mu ma bar bengi.
I thought you need money to buy beer . I don’t think it is poverty. It is just indiscipline and the so called women rights nonsense. I bet that the bulk of those statistics come from the women from the urban centres. Our rural women are still cultured and principled and would not waste the little money on alcohol but rather spend it to feed their families. It is only these urban savage women, like Dora Siliya, who have no respect for men and keep inciting women to disrect their men in the name of equal rights. It is these savage women with no decent homes or men to go to who are bringing the name of our great nation into disrupute. They need to be arrested and prosecuted. Every day they’re always closing night clubs. Kaliba!!! Awe mwe sure.
haha, without alcohol ugly people would never get laid. I was a heavy drinker until the year 2000, haven’t touched it since. I miss the fun but not the hangovers and “events”.
Men must come out and start talking.
It is a mother of lies to say men are responsible for women’s hard drinking! The arrogance of our women, lack of respect for a husband especially by the so-called empowered women is just too much. Come on socioligists – enough studies and talk about women-led gender debate and policies. Start looking at the plight of men. I am telling you – it is hell out here. The evil in women has smelt the sweet aroma of modern laws which are pro-women and against men and that evil is anhilating fathers, uncles and sons and nephews while we watch. Ever been poor or unemployed while married to a woman who is rich or well employed? Sad and bitter. Better poor but in a happy home. Men who oppress women are scum, do not misunderstand me.
I am in agreement with you. Grillos statistics are flawed. She should look for better reasons to empower women. I believe the opposite. More women are drinking because more of them are financially empowered and the issue of being equal to men. There could also be a possibility that we have more lesbians around us. There is very little varied entertainment in the country. More reaserch is needed in this area.
“Most women are frustrated because things are becoming tougher for them thereby resorting to drinking beer carelessly… Ms Grillo says it is for this reason that women should be empowered economically.” Ms Grillo, wont this mean more money, more drinking?! I would rather support Ms Katebe’s call that bars located in residential areas are closed as this has contributed to alcohol abuse.
Ms Katebe has told QFM News in a separate interview that most women resort to drinking beers because they have nothing to do, adding that if they are empowered, they can not involve themselves in such vices
The more you empower them economically, the more they will drink. Besides, its not just alcohol they are after. They are also parading themselves as a way to market there merchandise, if you know what I mean.
Poverty? Don’t think so. Where do they get money to spend on beer then. It’s just I their blood. There foreparents drunk too much. Examples are the Cindies of this world, can’t say they are poor. Na Kamushota konse 06 nakakolwa just look at her comments. Nganiba Nubian basumukile ku Bwalya.
@DitA
poverty mu town (not in villages) causes frustration and desperation…. those women can barter sex with beer, dont ask where they get the money,,,, sex can buy you anything including AIDS
Full of lies! Provide proof that WHO carried out this research and reported these findings. This report is based on 20 countries, most of whom are African. How many countries are there in the world?
Research is about sampling bro.
Thanks but we also have to consider sample size. 20 countries is too little to conclude that Zambian women are the most drunkards in the world. They have not even included countries like Russia in the report. We also know that most women in Zambia do not even have the means to binge-drink 3 times a week as indicated in the report. Most women who drink everyday are prostitutes and usually prostitutes don’t binge-drink because they are on business. The other part of the report showed countries whose women consume the most amount of alcohol in the world, Zambia is not even on the list.
This is why HIV prevalence in Zambia is so high among women. Women beer drinking goes hand in hand with Buhule.
The problem as I personally see it is that we Zambians tend to overdo everything maybe because of the high illiteracy levels. When Zambian women hear that American women drink, they drink like crazy without realizing that their American colleagues fully understand the detriments of drinking and exercise restraint with their drinking habits. The same goes for dressing. Zambian women are told that dressing is a choice and that in Europe, one can expose their boobs. With that in mind, our Zambian women overdo it by exposing themselves to the extent that Zambian boobs are too common and have lost value. Coming to Grilo’s comments, that’s not true. Even our young daughters in colleges and with heavy loads of assignments drink. Drinking itself has become a form of empowerment.
she is the same Beatrice Grillo who advacates equal rights . Here in Zambia we have taken Human rights too far beyond the limit. Because we dont understand human rights fully we have abused it. Even you NGO’s because you want your funders to fund you you advacate even things which can cause danger to the society. Dont cheat people that poverty has made women to drink too much .It is your selfishness. I wonder Beatrice Grillo is married.
thats y not marrying any of them(zambian woman) is good.
Those are true words.
Zambian women can drink. I have seen women drink bottles of vodka that would have actually killed my dad in one night! My theory is that most of these women are depressed due to HIV infections coupled with poverty. Not to mention they don’t get support from their hubbies who are busy womanizing and are likely to die faster leaving them widowed with kids to take care of.
In my opinion, people resort to alcohol to seek refuse as they escape personal problems, which could range from money problems, relationship problems, depression, grief, etc. It doesn’t solely emanate from poverty as Ms. Grillo suggests in the article. I have personally seen people who have been driven to drink, out of frustrations in life. However, as somebody correctly put it, alcohol does not give a permanent solution to our problems. As you get sober the following morning, the problems come back to haunt us. Moreover, I have seen women get drunk simply because they have found a new kind of freedom or power! Some also get binge drink as they frequent Kitchen parties, weddings and even funerals. Others have even made it a point of downing a beer or two, before attending a funeral, and…
…my own aunt did came sloshed to the brim to attend my own father’s funeral! It was the only way she could “cry” convincingly!! So I guess, there is a reason why our sisters and mothers are downing too much Mosi, Castle, Redds, Amarula, John Walker, Jack Daniels and etc. The next research by WHO should examine the real issues behind our women’s binge drinking; and the solutions to this problem.
You obviously have not been to Botswana to see their women drink. And how can someone in Moscow compare their women’s drinking to Zambian women. Russians are all drunkards, FACT.
I agree with you Teetotaller; tea time in most Russian establishments is Vodka (ka small water) time!!! hehehe
Ba tswana women drink,, but only drink heavily on fridays and saturdays but Zambia women drink daily monday to monday
Iam very happy to hear that we are on the world map
Bana mayo think of those days, I remember my mother only drunk beer on a suday after church. Working all week to look for money to send us to school and for food. Dont tell me they where not frustrated in their marriages, just say its todays culture. These days when you see somebody who doesn’t drink you will think there is something wrong with the woman. Think of your liver and poverty with your extended families.
women have a lot of programs just implemented for them in Zambia. We will blame kitchen party and funerals because that is were they drink a lot because beer is free. If we stop dying maybe ladies will not drink that much.
Poverty is easy to reduce or eradicate. The government has its priorities placed elsewhere. Any talk of poverty reduction is mere lip service. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. That is the trend.
How much of the $750 million Eurobond money went toward poverty reduction? Agriculture is the country’s largest employer. How much support are subsistence farmers receiving from the government? Now 50 years after attaining independence from Britain, the country is economically far worse-off than it was in 1964. Isn’t that a disgrace?
What the WHO guys left out their research is that a drunk Zambian women is the most sexy!
What criteria was used at such findings?am disputing the finding because zambia has a population of 14 million,compare this to Nigeria which has a population of 140 million.The population of kaduna city in Nigeria has a population of Zambia.Now compare the two, I mean kaduna and Zambia and the whole of Nigeria.
Is alcohol free in Zambia?
Sad if true but what was the methodology and sample etc. for the study? If people are poor they won’t be buying bottled beer from SAB Miller at K10 ($2 per bottle)! Logic is needed
..we have to be very careful with such research…..what were the parameters..?..where was this sampling done…..??…Ndola, Kasama, rural or urban areas…??..what was the purpose of this research…??…who conducted it(PHD students)….and over what period…..??
…the report is out then what..??….just to embarrass our women folks…??
..I would advise these researchers to concentrate on use of other drugs like cocaine, hashish…which has more devastating effects on humans than conversion larger and ciders….Zed may not even be in the top 100 for most drug pushers….
Let them do research on countries were racism is most rampant…or prostitution….
Its not burying my head in sand, but anything despising my lovely highly intelligent Zed women, I don’t buy it…..
IT’S NOT POVERTY AND THIS REPORT IS MISPLACED.
WHEN LOOKING AT THIS STATISTICS, YOU SHOULD ALSO LOOK AT THE MAN TO WOMAN RATIO AND JUST A NUMBER OF PARAMETERS.
Poverty is a choice,poverty is a self inflicted wound,so don’t ever blame alcohol for your poverty.
Ba WHO those are fake stats ! I don’t believe that’s true. In Australia women can drink far than Zed ladies.
Pa John Chinena ala mwandi ladies can drink utujilijili….
Alcohol is never a solution to your problems.
I totally agree with the report,having lived in Australia,RSA,Kenya and in 16 USA states,Zambian ladies drink alot not only on leisure times but they keep tuma bottles on their fridge at their homes,alot of other African ladies can attest to this,its just misplaced priorities and a bad culture.
This was a rare event to see ladies walking the streets with Mosi lager in their hands or parading crates of beer during weekends as is the custom nowadays.Just walk the streets of Lusaka on a Saturday afternoon and count the number of women you will meet drunk after kitchen parties or on their way to a kitchen party somewhere.
Rather than dispute the figures that have been given, let us review our morals and change.I will not attribute this horrific fact!
These NGO’s are just yapping inorder to hoodwink their funders. If for Real they want to do Civic education, let them organise rallies in compounds and villages to stand on the podium and speak to the women about what they think is right. I have never seen such an event , they only organise workshops , to win allowances .Hypocrisy at its best.
Am out in zed for along time,am suprise how zed ladies are the best beer drunkeds.too bad,i used to bost about my country.God have mercy on our zed ladies.