As late as 1980, an estimated two-thirds of murders or attempted murders in Greece were inspired by a male's need to uphold family honor in the face of public humiliation caused by the victim (see Crime , ch. 5). Although many of the superficial aspects of traditional social behavior, relationships, and roles have changed, especially in the cities, modern Greek society still retains elements of a much more traditional set of values, such as the protection of a family's reputation. Nevertheless, since the nineteenth century upward mobility has been unusually common in Greece; because the ideal of generational improvement has been widely distributed, Greece's class system has been much more flexible than that of other European countries.

Data as of December 1994

NOTE: The information regarding Greece on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Greece THE SOCIAL ORDER information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Greece THE SOCIAL ORDER should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.