Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said taking her seven-year-old daughter on an official visit to China set a good example that should help advance the rights of working mothers.
In an interview with lifestyle magazine Chi, she said there had been a lot of debate in Italy after being pictured hand-in-hand with her daughter Ginevra as they left the plane in Beijing to be greeted by Chinese officials at the start of the visit.
Critics on social media had questioned the decision to expose her daughter to the public spotlight on a high-profile trip, but Meloni said the alternative would have been to leave the girl behind in Italy for the best part of a week.
Meloni, who broke up with Ginevra’s father last year, said every mother had to choose what was right for their child.
“But there’s more to it, there is a cultural challenge that affects all women,” she said in advance excerpts of the interview.
“I think that if I, as prime minister, manage to show that my role is compatible with motherhood, then there will no longer be excuses for those who use motherhood as an excuse not to promote women at work,” she added.
The rise of Meloni, who became prime minister two years ago, shattered a glass ceiling for Italy’s women politicians but she is not known as a feminist.
In the past, she has opposed female quotas in boardrooms and parliament, arguing that women should advance through merit.