Italy’s first female Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni praised several women in her first speech to parliament on Tuesday, acknowledging the vital legacy they have left behind in “breaking the heavy glass ceiling.”
“Among the many burdens I feel weighing on my shoulders today, there is also that of being the first woman to head the government in this nation,” Meloni said.
“When I dwell on this fact … I inevitably find myself thinking about the responsibility I have towards all women who face difficulties in asserting their talent or, more trivially, the right to see their daily sacrifices appreciated.”
“But I also think, with reverence, of those who through their example have built the planks of the ladder that, today, allows me to climb and break the heavy glass ceiling placed over our heads.”
In her 70-minute long address, Meloni, 45, who was sworn in as Prime Minister on Saturday after winning a snap general election last month, listed the women who “built the ladder” that had allowed her to “climb up and break the heavy glass roof over our heads”.
They included pioneering educator Maria Montessori, author and war correspondent Oriana Fallaci, anti-fascism resistance leader Tina Anselmi, and the first European woman to command the International Space Station, Elisabetta Casellati.
“To them I say thank you for having demonstrated the value of Italian women, as I hope to be able to do too,” Meloni said.
Meloni, called herself an “underdog” who rose from the margins of Italy’s political scene to become the leader of far-right party, Brothers of Italy, a political group with neo-fascist roots.
She has never described herself as a feminist, does not believe in “pink quotas” in boardrooms, maintains that roles should be given according to merit, not gender and is a staunch advocate of traditional, heteronormative family values.
In her first speech on Tuesday, she reiterated her support for Ukraine, saying Italy would “continue to be a reliable partner within the Atlantic Alliance, starting with its support for the brave Ukrainian people who oppose the Russian invasion.”
“Those who believe it is possible to trade Ukraine’s freedom for our peace of mind are mistaken,” she said. “Giving in to Putin’s blackmail on energy would not solve the problem, it would aggravate it.”
She also used her speech to condemn fascist laws, though some critics believe her denouncement was merely performative.
“I have never felt any affinity for anti-democratic regimes… including Fascism,” she said. “The totalitarian dictatorships of the 1900s have torn apart the whole of Europe, not just Italy, for more than half a century, in a succession of horrors that has affected most European states.”
She went on to criticise Mussolini’s fascist, antisemitic racial laws introduced in the late 1930s.
“[They] are the lowest point in Italy’s history,” she said. “A disgrace that will mark our people forever.”
Meloni has consistently opposed illegal immigration during her political career, and pledged to stop migrant boats from leaving the shores of north Africa.
She hopes to establish a model based on Enrico Mattei’s mission to build an equal footing between European and oil-extracting African countries.
“Italy must promote a “Mattei Plan” for Africa, a virtuous model of collaboration and growth between the European Union and African nations, to counter the concerning spread of Islamist radicalism as well,” Meloni said.
On Saturday, when she was sworn into office, Meloni opted for the masculine form of her title —il presidente del Consiglio, instead of la presidente.