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Sidneva S. Women’s Functions and Gender Taboos in the Modern Greek Traditional Culture

Svetlana Sidneva
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University
Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-2937-5434
E-mail: lucia80@mail.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. This article is devoted to the customs of Greek society related to traditional gender stereotypes and the the social role of women. On the one hand, Greece positions itself as one of the countries of the European Union that proclaims equal rights and opportunities for its citizens, regardless the gender. On the other hand, Greek traditional culture remains quite patriarchal and follows a number of unspoken rules that concern the roles of women and men in the family and society. In Greece, there are still spaces reserved primarily for men — καφενείο (“men’s coffee housesˮ). With the growing involvement of modern Greek women in previously male spheres of public life (management, science, military affairs), today there are still taboos for certain activities that are marked as unfeminine: trading in the public market, performaning certain dances, singing in the choir during church service. The taboos are violated, but it is their demonstrative violation and the contradictory, caring reaction to such cases that once again demonstrate their vitality. On the contrary, there are activities that are still considered exclusively or predominantly female: healing the evil eye or buying certain products in the people’s market. Similar stereotypes towards women are also observed in Greek communities outside Greece. The study suggests that the persistence and strict adherence to certain gender stereotypes over several centuries can be explained by their connection with dominant features   of Greek national identity.

 

KEYWORDS: gender stereotypes, female and non-female activities, Modern Greek traditional culture, functions, taboos

 

FOR CITATION: Sidneva S. Women’s Functions and Gender Taboos in the Modern Greek Traditional Culture. Kunstkamera. 2025. 3 (29): 39–54. (In Russian). DOI: 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-3(29)-39-54

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-3(29)-39-54
УДК 316.346.2-055.2(495)

 

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