A commonly discussed issue in Greece is the way in which men act towards women, especially foreigners. From what I had read before leaving the US, Greek men tend to catcall women and can be quite aggressive with their approach. This was evident within the first couple days of being in Athens. Young men are especially bold and have no shame in yelling at you on the streets or following you for blocks trying to get your attention. For some people this is really frightening and makes downtown Athens much less attractive. While I don't enjoy being followed or yelled at, I also know these men aren't likely to try to do anything too serious especially in busy areas. For anyone planning to visit Athens I would highly recommend travelling in a group and avoiding areas like Omonia which tend to be more dangerous, especially at night.
This also extends to the nightlife of downtown Athens. If you want to go to bars and clubs, you need to go with other people. I've heard multiple people's accounts of being drugged here already. Men are also much more aggressive when intoxicated and are more than willing to grab women so I encourage everyone to be on the look out for themselves and their friends.
In my sociology class we have discussed the demographics of Greece compared to the US. What I've come to realise is that the older generations do not seeing any problems with the way men act. They still retain many traditional values meaning that women are most definitely the inferior sex. This tends to be the case in religious countries and with 98% of the population here being Greek Orthodox which is likely a factor in the way women are treated.
I have also quickly realised the poor treatment of the LGBTQI+ community here. In my class we only discuss heteronormative relationships and families. From the discussions in class I have realised that some students around my age tend to be much more liberal than others. In the context of the general public, I have noticed that most people don't discuss sexuality at all. I met a local man about my age and he was explaining that being openly gay here is extremely hard. Other men will yell rude remarks at him on the streets and older people tend to be short and cold with him. It’s hard to imagine feeling so unwanted by your own community but unfortunately this is one of the downsides of living in a conservative country.
