Conscription in Greece - Attitude Towards Conscription and Conscripts (draftees)

Attitude Towards Conscription and Conscripts (draftees)

The military has a strong part in Greek society and structure, and is generally regarded as one of the most trustworthy institutions of the country. Among more traditional sectors of society, such as those in rural regions, national service has been historically perceived as a rite of passage. Mandatory military service is often perceived as part of the "natural" order of life, and as a final school of socialization and maturing for young Greek men before the real world. This mindset is still present in modern times. In part this attitude was caused by moralistic beliefs encapsulated in the proverb Women have birth, men have the army, meaning that both genders offer a service to their Greek motherland, women by giving birth and men by helping defend it.

However, in recent decades, military service has become unpopular among some segments of society, particularly many living in urban communities. Some draftees consider conscription a waste of time. There have also been incidents of conscripts being used for jobs outside their normal mandate, such as fighting forest fires (without protective equipment). Thus the Greek Ministry of Defense has stated that one out of three men eligible for conscription never showed up for their tour. Draft evaders living in Greece have risen to 30,000. The number of young men trying to achieve permanent deferment by stating (usually mental) health problems has also increased in recent years.

The average age of draftees is higher than in the past, where conscripts tended to be 18–20 years old. Nowadays, conscripts are commonly in their mid-twenties, and many have university-level education prior to conscription. In past generations, the army would often be the first time a young adult would find himself on his own and away from home; nowadays this has by and large been replaced by Higher Education studies.