Most Greek schools have picked a rival title over the sixth-grade textbook that ignited a political row for referring to “a family with two parents of the same sex”.

The Social and Civic Education book, for the final year of primary school, is one of three approved for the subject. Two mention same-sex families explicitly. The third does not.

Figures from Diophantus, the state institute that publishes and distributes school textbooks, show the Poukamisas book was chosen by 736 schools, or 17.28% of the total. The Pedio book was picked by 1,683 (39.52%) and the Elliniki Grafi book by 1,840 (43.20%).

Under Greece’s new multiple-textbook system, no single book is imposed on every classroom. Several approved titles can exist for the same subject, and teachers made their choices last June. The system takes full effect in the 2027-2028 school year.

The Poukamisas book lists the “family with two parents of the same sex” alongside the nuclear, single-parent, extended and adoptive family, in a section on the “great diversity” of family types. Pupils are asked to make a poster on each type and to consider which one their own family belongs to. Its author, sociologist Manousos Maragkoudakis, rejected the woke agenda label, saying the book records a “social and legal reality”.

The Pedio book notes that in many countries civil marriage and the cohabitation agreement, Greece’s civil partnership pact, can apply to same-sex couples, and it explicitly lists “families of same-sex couples”. The Elliniki Grafi book makes no explicit reference to them, and its images show opposite-sex couples.

A second-grade Language textbook, My Language, published by Nisos, has drawn similar criticism. Its illustrations include families with two fathers or two mothers, and children are asked to draw their own. It is one of four options for the subject. The row soon became tied to the debate over same-sex marriage, which Greece legalised in 2024.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the issue at his press conference at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), the annual event at which Greek leaders set out their economic and policy plans. He called the multiple-textbook system an “achievement” and said the books were assessed by independent committees, not written by ministers. If a book contained an error, or something that provoked a justified reaction, “we will correct it”, he said. He also backed Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki, who has faced criticism over the books.

“There is no woke agenda in Greece,” Mitsotakis said, adding that the country should not “invent” new causes for division.

“Pitfalls” and housework

Other passages have also caused debate related to sexist content. A third-grade Gymnasio (lower secondary school) Social and Civic Education book tells girls to remember that “men have greater size and strength”, to avoid “pitfalls” and to keep away from violent, aggressive, ill-tempered, narcissistic or manipulative men. It says the husband “learns to take care of the heavy work, technical tasks and outside affairs”, while the wife takes care of “bringing up the children and, more generally, the household”. It adds that women entering the workforce brought greater balance, but that they still usually carry more of the burden. It also defines marriage as a union of two people of opposite sexes.

Its author, Pavlos Marantos, said he still considered the passages correct and that they were meant “to inform and protect” girls. He said the aim was for them to be wary of abusive men, “not to fear men and personal relationships”.

Other objections have been narrower. A second-grade Gymnasio Geography and Geology book was criticised for linking Cyprus geographically with Asia, although it also lists the island among the European countries of the Mediterranean. A first-grade Lyceum (upper secondary school) Social and Civic Education book drew complaints for mentioning the Vlach language (Aromanian, spoken in parts of northern Greece), but its authors said the example illustrated collective action, not national identity.

Comments on the second-grade Gymnasio Byzantine and Medieval History book concern maps, captions and an image identified as Anna Komnene, the Byzantine princess and historian. Objections to first-grade Lyceum Mathematics concern the approval process and the treatment of author teams, not the content.

Platform for corrections

In all, 230 teaching packages containing 440 books for 103 subjects, from the first grade of primary school to the first grade of Lyceum, have been approved. Independent five-member committees, with more than 900 members in total, assessed them.

A platform run by the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP), the education ministry’s scientific advisory body, has taken comments since July and has so far received 42. A Textbook Unit is planned to examine possible corrections before the books take effect in September 2027.