by Maria Taddia
In supposedly post-feminist times, where high-achieving girlhood entails high expectations but is riddled with contradiction, this multiple site case study explores how Italian upper-secondary school female students construct their identities as high achievers. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with students from three Northern Italian upper-secondary institutions were carried out and analyzed. Research findings illustrate the prevalence of narratives constructing success as a multidimensional and contradicting position to occupy, thus emphasizing the influence of deceitful notions around neoliberal individualism and post-feminism. The interactions between the students and their family, educational and cultural environments were also underscored in light of their connection with the participants’ gender and high-achiever identities. While addressing the dearth of research centering the experiences of Italian girls approaching the end of their time in school, this research underscores the need for further investing in the provision of gender equality education within teacher training and curricula in the Italian education system.