This study discusses the sustained unpaid gendered caregiving services—including the discriminatory parental time-allocation patterns—that define and determine the unpaid female labor model observed globally. In employing a comparative and integrative literature analysis, drawing from peer-reviewed academic articles, research reports, surveys, fact sheets, and international case studies across different disciplines, this paper subsequently focuses on Greece. Sustained caregiving responsibilities and extensive unpaid care and services provided by women—and especially mothers—have been creating barriers to women’s employment and employability. The care burden impact along with the flexibility stigma, the ambition gap and the motherhood penalty have been reducing women’s employability, stalling the march towards equality. When it comes to men’s caregiving, change is happening, but not fast enough. As regards parental time allocation, current studies show that Greece is one of the most challenging countries for working mothers in Europe, societal expectations repeatedly demanding that women prioritize family over employment. Greek women’s labor market performance is deteriorating, while that of men’s is improving or left unaffected. Female employment in Greece is still the second lowest in the EU—just above Italy—and lags far behind the EU average. There seems to be no child penalty for men in Greek society, whereas women’s employment decreases by as much as 37.9% when the first child arrives. Greek women with children have been forced to excel in parental time allocation, literally becoming experts in time management. They provide most of the housework and childcare services in heterosexual dual-earner couple households. Research confirms that motherhood is punished in the Greek labor market. The motherhood penalty in Greece results in substantial lifetime income loss for women: lower employment rates; reduced career prospects and income; pressures to work part-time, stay home or accept less demanding positions/salaries, and inevitably lower pensions. In conclusion, among European countries, Greece is not the place to have a child. The childcare gap in Greece, despite declining birthrates, makes it extremely hard for mothers to return to work after childbirth or excel in their careers. Accordingly, this paper contributes to the research in the field by re-addressing the gender gaps and provides additional and targeted recommendations on how to eliminate the discriminatory gendered time-allocation pattern, namely the sustained and deep-rooted gender gaps or discriminatory patterns: e.g., childcare gap, employment gap, wage gap, leadership gap and pension gap.   KEYWORDS: flexibility, gender, parental time allocation, childcare gap, motherhood penalty, pension gap, stupid curve

«Αλίμονο! Κακότυχη χώρα! Πέντε χρόνια αργότερα, ήταν η μοίρα σου να πέσεις κάτω από το βάρβαρο χαντζάρι (γιαταγάνι) του Τούρκου, ενώ οι Ευρωπαϊκές Δυνάμεις παρακολουθούσαν ασυγκίνητες. Παγερά θυσιάστηκες στο θέμα της πολιτικής ισορροπίας […] Από την γη αυτή, που ποτίσθηκε με το αίμα των παιδιών της, η Χίος προμηθεύει λιβάνια για τους ναούς των κατακτητών της, οι οποίοι, μέσα στην άγρια οργή τους, αφάνισαν τα θύματά τους χωρίς σεβασμό, όσον αφορά στο φύλο και την ηλικία», γράφει η Πριγκίπισσα Celine, η υιοθετημένη κόρη της Βασίλισσας Καρολίνας, όταν επέστρεψε στη Χίο το 1823 και συγκλονίστηκε από τις επιπτώσεις της Μεγάλης Σφαγής (μτφρ. Ειρ. Καμπερίδου).

Prologue: "The cruel ravages which have been committed by the Turks might well have inspired another Homer!"   The slave-markets of Scio (Chios), Constantinople and Smyrna were always full of Greek women and girls, some offered as gifts to Sultan Mahmut II for his harem, according to the accounts of Louise Demont and Princess Celine, who accompanied Princess Caroline, then future Queen of Great Britain during her travels in 1814 to 1820.

Social well-being is increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in defining and understanding health. In recent years, health issues have transcended the boundaries of medical science, which once held a dominant position under the positivist biomedical model. In today’s digital era, health is explored through a broader spectrum of disciplines, which include sociology, psychology, political economy, cognitive sciences and, notably, sports science. This study, following interdisciplinary paths, seeks to construct a theoretical framework that facilitates the analysis and examination of social well-being within the context of sports and exercise, addressing both the virtual and physical dimensions of reality.   Keywords: social well-being, digital-virtual world, avatars, athletic activity, sport exercises

The present study investigates the social and demographic characteristics of participants in the contemporary running movement in Greece, interpreting the phenomenon through the theoretical lens of postmodernity. Drawing on empirical data from 3,228 runners who participated in a large-scale running event, the research examines whether the Greek running movement constitutes merely a form of recreational physical activity or a distinct social and cultural field within the broader sports system. Beyond descriptive statistical mapping, the study integrates theories of new social movements, social stratification, social capital, and systems theory, alongside postmodern sociological perspectives (Habermas, Inglehart) to interpret the structural and symbolic dimensions of participation. The findings indicate that the running movement in Greece is predominantly composed of middle-to-upper social strata, characterized by high educational attainment and relatively stable income levels. Significant gender differences persist, with male participation remaining dominant, although female presence is steadily increasing. The results suggest that running has transcended the boundaries of individual exercise and has become a postmodern field of identity construction, value expression, and symbolic transformation of public space. Participants demonstrate strong elements of individualization combined with selective forms of collective belonging, reflecting broader value shifts toward self-realization, health, autonomy, and experiential lifestyles. The study concludes that the Greek running movement functions as a distinct sports subsystem and as a postmodern social movement that redefines the relationship between social stratification, identity, and the transformation of urban space.  

Please cite as:Kamberidou, Irene (2026). Parental Time Allocation in Greece and the "Flexibility Stigma." Presentation at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Athens lecture Series. Hosted by the LSE Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), 27 Feb. 2026. Available on the NKUA YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/K_6GAKedGzM** Also available in Pergamos: https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/5359133/file.pdf

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