According to recent research, 10 million people work in the domestic care sector across Europe, 97% of them women. In a continent that is both aging and working at an increasingly demanding pace, elderly care and household support have become indispensable pillars of social cohesion.
Greece ranks among the European countries with the highest proportion of foreign workers in domestic care, underscoring the crucial role migrant women play in the everyday functioning of society.
Marking International Domestic Workers Day (16 June), “Historical Walks” is dedicated to the thousands of women from Georgia who care for our elderly parents and relatives and who account for more than 90% of domestic caregivers in Greece.
Sociologist and postdoctoral researcher at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Nefeli Stournara, author of the book Exemplary Workers, explores the phenomenon of female migration and domestic labor through the findings of her social research, shedding light on a workforce that remains largely unseen despite its essential contribution.
The program also journeys, through music and history, to Sakartvelo—the name Georgians use for their homeland—a country distinguished by its rich musical tradition, unique language and alphabet, and strong communal bonds.
In the next episode, the microphone will be handed to the caregivers themselves, giving voice to the women whose labor sustains thousands of Greek households.
Produced and presented by Marilena Katsimi
Broadcast: Saturday, 20 June 2026, 13:00–14:00 Athens time
