Elly versus Giorgia? The political leadership of Elly Schlein and Giorgia Meloni between myth and reality

2023 has been a year marking a turning point, with two women in leading positions for the first time in Italian politics. Elly Schlein was elected leader of the Democratic Party in February 2023, while a few months earlier Giorgia Meloni, leader of the radical right Brothers of Italy, became prime minister. When Schlein and Meloni celebrated their victory with the identical phrase ‘They [the men] didn’t see us coming’, both leaders showed great awareness that their rise shook the traditionally Italian male dominated political environment. Will the election of the two leaders result in a more structural change? The article seeks to address this issue, focusing on three key aspects: the historical roots of the women’s exclusion from Italian politics; the distinctive political careers of Meloni and Schlein; and the success of the radical right Meloni government in defending the traditional family, while Schlein is facing difficulties to revive the party and to build a single opposition.