GSCG Toolkit Annex Greece

Overview in Greece

In Greece, efforts to advance gender equality in education and career choices date back to the 1950s and are aligned with EU frameworks. Despite policy support and awareness campaigns, gendered patterns persist in career pathways: women dominate sectors like education, healthcare, and social services, while men remain prevalent in STEM, technical, and construction fields. These patterns are rooted in deep-seated societal norms that influence both early guidance and adult decision-making.

Although career guidance is offered across schools, VET institutions, and universities via bodies like EOPPEP and university career offices, systematic application of gender-sensitive approaches remains limited. The GUIDE Toolkit is well positioned to bridge this gap by providing structured, practical resources tailored to the Greek context.

Gender-Sensitive Career Guidance Current State in Greece

Career guidance is delivered through KESYP centres, university offices, and EOPPEP-coordinated networks. A national quality assurance model is in place, although challenges persist in infrastructure, training, and referral systems.
NGOs and EU-funded projects, including GUIDE, support awareness-raising and mentoring in gender diversity.
Campaigns by the General Secretariat for Gender Equality continually promote the importance of equal opportunity in career development.

Persistent stereotypes: learners—especially girls—are channelled into traditional roles, while boys face pressure toward technical or leadership careers.
Insufficient training for guidance professionals in gender-sensitive methodologies.
Cultural norms and family expectations continue to shape career choices.
Labour market inequalities: Women struggle to access STEM and managerial roles; men face stigma in care-related fields.

Pilot use of the Digital Stereotype-Identification Tool in select VET institutions.
Short workshops and webinars promoting inclusive guidance are gaining traction among educators and career trainers.
The GUIDE online course is piloting in Greek and other partner languages to support professionals in practical application.

Stakeholder Perspectives & Good Practices

Greek career guidance professionals interviewed for the Toolkit evaluation highlighted its clarity and practical relevance, praising the balance between theory and hands-on tools. They found that the content supports meaningful changes in daily guidance practice.

In Greece, Greek Women in STEM (GWiS) runs a standout one-to-one mentoring programme that connects aspiring women scientists—often university or postgraduate students—with experienced female professionals across STEM fields. This free, online initiative fosters personalised guidance, motivation, and exposure to role models from technology, engineering, and research careers. Participants consistently report increased confidence and clarity in their career decisions—and many attribute this to the empathetic support of their mentor. The programme exemplifies how mentoring can challenge stereotypes and open doors for women in non-traditional fields such as data science, engineering, or tech management.

On the other side of the gender divide, professions like nursing and early childhood education remain heavily female in Greece. Although targeted mentoring programmes for male learners are not yet widespread, international evidence and early pilots underscore their potential value. For example, studies highlight that mentoring male students entering nursing can significantly reduce stigma and help them build essential professional identity and skills. While such formal initiatives are still emerging in Greece, the rising interest in inclusive education and guides such as the WHEN “School of No Bias” programme (which addresses STEM inclusivity at the classroom level) point toward expanding landscapes of gender-aware mentoring.

STEM Role Models for Girls: NGO-led initiatives invite female STEM professionals into schools to mentor and inspire female students.
Mentoring for Male Students in Care Professions: Programmes pairing male learners with mentors in nursing and early education help address stigmas and encourage diversity.

Conclusions & Recommendations

The external evaluators have affirmed that the Toolkit holds strong relevance for Greece, particularly valuing its practical tools, adaptability, and flexible structure that can support diverse settings. To ensure its effectiveness and uptake, the following strategic actions are recommended:

Broaden Dissemination: Share the Toolkit widely across school counselling services, VET institutions, university career offices (e.g. KESY, EOPPEP, DASTA), and HR departments of public and private organisations. Embedding it within existing frameworks, such as the national quality assurance model for guidance services, will enhance its visibility and impact. Cedefop’s guidance system insights highlight the potential of such institutional integrations.
Facilitate Implementation via Training: Organise webinars, workshops, and CPD activities to accompany the Toolkit’s rollout. These sessions should focus on using the Digital Stereotype Identification Tool, the Co-Creation Model, and the online course modules to promote uptake among guidance professionals, educators, and trainers.
Leverage National Case Studies and Practices: Integrate Greek good practice examples—such as mentoring programmes by Greek Women in STEM and pilot VET initiatives addressing male engagement in care professions—as illustrative annexes and case studies. These contextualised insights will help practitioners apply the general guidance to real-life scenarios in Greece.
Encourage Stakeholder Engagement: Engage professional bodies, NGOs like Women On Top, and networks such as WHEN to facilitate active dissemination and participatory use of the Toolkit. Their involvement will reinforce credibility and foster a broader community of practice.

As a harmonised component of the full Toolkit, this annex provides Greek-specific insights, combining grounded country-level context with the overarching European framework. Together—with other national annexes—it ensures that the Toolkit is both inclusive and contextually resonant and effectively supports gender-sensitive career guidance that reflects the lived experiences of counsellors and learners across Greece and Europe.

Resources

Greek Women in STEM. (n.d.). Mentoring programme. Retrieved July 2025, from https://www.greekwomeninstem.com/mentoring/become-mentor
Bodossaki Foundation. (n.d.). Empowering Greek Women in STEM – supporting initiatives. Retrieved July 2025, from https://www.bodossaki.gr/en/our-partnerships/other-foundations/capacity-building-programme-for-civil-society-organisations-active-in-promoting-gender-equality/projects/
(n.d.). Inventory of lifelong guidance systems and practices in Greece. Retrieved July 2025, from https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/country-reports/inventory-lifelong-guidance-systems-and-practices-greece
PubMed Central. (2023). Nurse mentoring: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Reviews. Retrieved July 2025, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10454917/
Greek Women in STEM. (n.d.). Homepage, interviews, events. Retrieved July 2025, from https://www.greekwomeninstem.com/
GuideProject.eu. (n.d.). Career-guidance interviews & best practices (Greece). Retrieved July 2025, from https://guideproject.eu/interviews/ and https://guideproject.eu/career-guidance-best-practices-interviews/