Edited by Chiara Severgnini
What will we remember in 2023? Wars, attacks, floods. But also solidarity movements, great innovations, records. And then novels, films, concerts. And many, many women. The Corriere journalists have selected 102: those (living or dead during the year) who have left the most mark in the last twelve months.
The Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fourth most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes, and the Secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein could not be missing: the European heads of state and government could not be missing: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Christine Lagarde, first woman at the head of the ECB, and Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.
But intellectuals like Michela Murgia, trade unionists like Fran Drescher and activists like Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner imprisoned in Iran, also shaped the year. And when talking about Nobel, it's important to mention economist Claudia Goldin, who has studied the systemic inequities that disadvantage women in the workplace, and biochemist Katalin Kariko, mother of mRNA vaccines. And then athletes like Sofia Goggia and Federica Brignone, champions in competition who encourage each other, and directors like Paola Cortellesi, who brought Italy back to the cinema with a thrilling story of female strength with There's Still Tomorrow.
However, in this year 2023, the women who suffered atrocities also made headlines. Those who were abused by terrorists on October 7, those who were held hostage by Hamas, those who were forced to give birth under the bombs in Gaza. And those killed by those who do not respect their freedom, like Giulia Cecchettin. For this reason, in our opinion, she is also one of the Women of the Year 2023. Not alone, but with her sister Elena, whose words sparked a wave of indignation – including male – that is unprecedented in our country.