Secret Female Qat Chewers: Families Losing Connection

Years back, only older and married women were allowed to chew qat, while single girls were not allowed. Nowadays, the habit of qat chewing has passed through younger secondary and university girls, and the number is increasing.

According to a number of female qat chewers who hide the issue from their families, they would never tell their parents as it could get them into trouble, therefore, they chew in their parents absence whether in parties or when studying in their friends house.

When asking female chewers on how they started chewing qat, answers differed completely from one girl to another.

Some claim that they started through sweeping the mafraj (hall) after qat chewers. While sweeping the leftovers off the floor, some good leaves were found in the bunch and consumed by the girl.

Others started as they clean the qat for their father, and they try qat not for the love of it, but out of curiosity. Friends were also a source for some who started qat chewing.

For those who have boyfriends, they say that their boyfriend would offer to buy them qat, therefore making it the beginning of their qat chewing days.

When the Yemen Post asked female qat chewers for why they chew, most replied that qat sessions provide a much needed space of freedom, away from society's boundaries of which they talk about their obstacles, friends, fashions, and matters that society does not allow them to talk about.

Other reasons that were given for females to start chewing included loneliness, friends, or to please their husband in order for him not to leave them and go chew with his own friends. Others chew qat to feel independent, free, equal to man, and to challenge society that prevents them from many things of which everything prohibited is desirable.

The amount of qat that women consume is less than man in quantity.

In rural areas, most village girls justify their qat chewing in order to carry out their duties like  collecting woods, carrying water, working in farms and harvesting among other reasons. At harvest times, fathers even urge their daughters to chew, in order for them to be energized, thus, finish the field work as soon as possible. For a number of girls in rural areas, this was the beginning of their chewing era.

M.G's father, a rural area resident, does not give her qat to keep her active when doing extra house work in her village. She ends up stealing qat from her father's qat farm to feel energetic in order to complete the heavy tasks given to her during the day. Since she has a lot of work, she feels that she needs to chew. For those who are married, their husbands give them qat to keep them energized and finish the daily work.

Children whose mothers chew qat tend to get less care from their parents. When they return from school, they feel  hungry, however, the mother has already started chewing, making it difficult for mothers to stand and serve lunch to their children. As a result, children would  eat anything  available to suffice their hunger after a long day at school.

Unfortunately, and due to some qat being strong, some female chewers go extreme, as they act differently after the session. Some would risk hurting family members as well.

Jameela is a qat chewer and mother of three daughters. One day, as she returned from Al-Tafrita (female gathering qat session), she took the scissors and started to cut her daughter's long hair. When she woke up in the morning, she screamed at her daughter for damaging her hair, forgetting she was the one who did so. "Mom, you did that last night." The  daughter replied crying.

According to Abdullah Abdo Hamed, a qat seller, there is no specific kind of qat that makes individuals go completely out of control, as it only gives you more energy to carry out duties. He adds saying that from his experience, qat that is planted in previous graveyards causes the qat chewer to feel worried and depressed. This however is a theory he says, but could possibly be true.

22 years old, university student M. is in debt to her friends and neighbors because of her chewing habits. She chews without the knowledge of her parents. She borrows a lot of money from friends to buy her daily amount of qat. When pay time is near, she would look for things to sell. Days later, and after her mother finds out that she is in debt, and desperately trying to get her hand on money, she gets upset and has not talked to her for over three months. According to her, nearly half  of the female qat chewers are in debt.

Some women would even ask for qat from by passers if they don’t have qat that day.

Mohammed Awad, a 31 year old bus driver complains that female beggars ask him for qat if they can't get money. To him, it is shameful to say no, "In the morning, some female beggars ask for money, but in the afternoon, they ask for qat."  He adds that one female even said to him "If you give me qat, you will enter paradise directly."  Under such circumstances, he was forced to give her half the qat he possessed as he felt forced to give her.

An unusual custom that encourages female qat chewing can be found in  Bani Al-Awan Wadi of Hajja governorate, where tribesmen encourage their daughters to chew qat on their wedding day. The bride is given a bag of qat, cigarettes, and a soft drink. This is considered pride in Al-Awan Wadi. It is also considered a shame if she does not chew.

Qat chewing has caused great financial, social, and agricultural damages to the country, making it a crisis to go along with the other problems the country is facing.

With the growing number of mothers who chew, another problem erupts as children start to feel that chewing is a positive thing.

Waleed a 13 year old is a frequent qat chewer. He always wears his jambiya when he chews, as he prefers to sit with older qat chewers. When we asked him why he does so, he replied "To be a man like my uncles."

His father, who allows him to chew defended his action saying "I want to teach him how to be a man, and it is important for him to sit with men to learn from them.  Also, while he is with me I can observe him closely instead of him being in the streets."

"With  the growing trend of both parents being chewers, children spend countless hours without supervision or a guardian, therefore damaging the social and cultural values the kids have," concludes Husam Saleh Al-Haydari, a father of four, who vowed to never allow qat in his house, hoping to be a good role model for his family and society.