The spread of qat among women [Archives:2006/936/Reportage]

Arwa Al-Anesi
For a long time, Yemeni men from certain social classes commonly have chewed qat. Nowadays, qat chewing has spread its wings and is spreading rapidly among all societal groups, including women. As compared to men, women chewing qat is considered a new phenomenon. Lately, the numbers of women chewing qat have increased dramatically and are increasing daily.

In the past, during their leisure time, women drank coffee in their gatherings and sessions, and this is still common among elderly women around the country.

“Tafrota,” the Arabic word for traditional women's sessions, mostly took place without qat chewing. Their gatherings always were related to occasions like weddings, births or death of a relative or friend. Additionally, only married women attended such sessions. Single young women only were allowed to go to wedding celebrations, as society did not accept their attendance at other occasions.

But lately, young ladies have begun to break these customs by freely attending all social occasions. Gradually, and with the changing of everyday life, they began holding their own sessions to chew qat and smoke “sheeshah” as well.

In their qat sessions, ladies discuss new fashions, singers and beauty and when they finish, they begin gossiping while watching video clips on television. Sessions usually continue for four to six hours on average, usually starting late in the afternoon and continuing until the later part of the night. In some instances, they continue until midnight. “My friends and I usually start our sessions around 5 or 6 p.m. and we continue until midnight or even later, especially if we don't have work the next day,” said 24-year-old Amira Omar, a frequent qat chewer originally from Hodeidah.

According to a study done 25 years ago, only five percent of Yemeni women chewed qat on a regular basis, whereas the result of a new study conducted at Sana'a University found that 56 percent of educated Yemeni women chew qat.

At the beginning of its spread among women, qat sessions were limited to a few wealthy families in main cities and it was not allowed for a young woman to chew qat, particularly if she was unmarried.

Unfortunately, it is now out in the open and families are shocked at how quickly it has spread. “I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my daughter's friends chewing qat and smoking sheeshah. I don't know how their families let them do that without shame,” Sumaya Hamoud, a 48-year-old mother of two daughters, said.

“I still remember when I was their age how shameful it was for a young lady to chew or even to stay with women while they were chewing qat. What makes me sad is that the number of those whom we consider highly educated ladies increasingly are becoming chewers day after day,” she added.

Ironically, such young ladies consider qat and sheeshah a kind of prestige, viewing other ladies who don't chew as old-fashioned. Ironically, most qat chewing women are highly educated, but when sitting with them in such sessions, nonsense issues usually are discussed.

Nearly all women qat chewers have the same look and behave the same way. For example, in weddings, their actions in some cases are worse than men. They view themselves as being above others and feel prestigious in society only because of the qat they chew and sheeshah they smoke.

“I feel disgusted when I see my old friends behaving arrogantly. They always try to make me feel that they are more stylish than me because of the qat they chew and sheeshah they smoke,” said 24-year-old computer science graduate Samira Al-Ariki, who opposes qat.

Obviously, women spend a lot of money when they chew qat, as they like to show off among their friends. Some women work and spend most of their salaries buying qat, especially if they don't have to spend part of their salaries to help their families.

Moreover, some husbands and parents buy qat for their wives and daughters and in large quantities so they can give to their friends. “I always buy qat for my wife. I encourage her to chew, especially if she's going to chew qat with me,” said taxi driver Zaid Al-Malah, who prefers chewing with his wife.

Women who grew up in homes where chewing qat was a normal procedure find it easier to chew qat. However, many parents who chew qat don't accept the habit from their daughters. “I chew qat, but this generation's ladies are chewing worse than us. I will never let my daughters chew qat because I don't want them to be affected by those ladies and their bad personalities,” 45-year-old qat chewing mother Fatima Mohammed said.

A majority of women claim they started the habit after they married. Asma Mohammed, 25, from Sana'a, was raised in a family that forbids chewing qat and viewed it as destructive. After she got married, her husband encouraged her to chew qat every day and she accepted. “I'm embarrassed to let my brothers see me while I'm chewing qat. I know how much they hate qat and I have to respect their point of view, even though I chew,” she said.

Women who chew qat don't seem to view what they are doing as wrong, claiming they are just wasting their time in a decent way. They believe such sessions are better than walking around the streets all afternoon and into the late night hours. They complain that there are no decent sport clubs for women or nice entertainment venues like parks or recreational areas. Women qat chewers complain that others should try it before judging them for their actions or give them alternatives.

Over the years, numerous research has revealed qat's harmful effects and the dangers it causes. For example, studies show that chewing qat undoubtedly causes insomnia and weight loss and it may also cause mouth cancer. Doctors said it's even more dangerous for pregnant and breastfeeding women and their child, if she chews qat or stays beside those who are smoking.

Unfortunately, today's women repeat what men say about qat when they try to convince themselves and others that they are doing the right thing and that there are no other alternatives. In fact, women have many other alternative activities to pass their spare time that are not a health hazard and are more fun, such as social volunteer work, helping the poor or other entertaining programs. They could use the time and money they spend on chewing qat by operating small business activities that they can run and benefit from. They also could use their time by holding such sessions to discuss their culture, science or religion.

Local analysts fear Yemen's future outcome and how it will turn out if both parents are busy chewing qat, leaving Yemeni children to waste more time on the streets.
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