Greece advances equality through family law reform
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Akis Skertsos, Greece’s Minister of State, reflected on the 1983 reform of family law and its lasting impact on equality.
He noted that Margarita Papandreou and the Union of Greek Women played a key role in changing legal frameworks that once required women to bring a dowry to marriage and designated husbands as the head of the family.
The reform eliminated the dowry, established equal rights for spouses, gave parents joint custody of children, and allowed children born outside of marriage the same rights as those born within. Skertsos explained that the changes moved Greece away from a view of marriage based on material exchange or female submission, and toward one based on love, respect, and equality.
He acknowledged that while progress has been made, challenges remain in achieving full equality, including unequal distribution of care work, wage gaps, gender stereotypes, and gender-based violence. He stated that each generation must continue to work toward equality in areas like employment, family life, the economy, politics, and daily life. Skertsos emphasized that the true measure of successful reforms is whether they become ingrained in society’s consciousness, making past inequalities seem unimaginable to future generations.
