Precarity and gender equality among greek youth
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES)
FEPS
Abstract
What happens to gender equality when a generation feels it is fighting over shrinking opportunities? This policy brief examines how young adults in Athens understand equality.
Drawing on three focus groups with 18–29-year-olds, it shows that participants support equal rights, yet often discuss gendered harm as a competition. I describe this pattern as “zero-sum equality talk”. It is most visible in discussions of jobs and public debate, especially where institutions seem inconsistent and media coverage selective. Around consent and bodily autonomy, however, participants use a firmer language of rights, leaving less room for competitive comparisons.
The findings suggest that support for gender equality is shaped by the material conditions of everyday life. Policies will carry greater weight when linked to fighting inequality and promoting affordability. Durable policy and discussion grounded in young people’s experiences can make equality feel like a shared source of security in lives marked by uncertainty.
This study forms part of FEPS’s EqualiZe project on youth, gender equality and political attitudes across Europe.
