Forbes 100 most powerful women

From Wikigender.org

Starting in 2004, Forbes magazine has made a list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. The annual ranking of the

For the past 5 years, Forbes magazine has ranked the 100 most powerful women in the world

most powerful women in the world measures "power" as a composite of public profile--calculated using press mentions--and financial power. The economic component of the ranking considers job title and past career accomplishments, as well as the amount of money the woman controls. It is based on visibility and economic impact. n total, the women ranked on this list control $26 trillion worldwide. For the last three years, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has been ranked as the most powerful woman.

The 2008 Top Ten

Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany
Sheila C. Bair, (Chairman of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)), United States
Indra Nooyi, (CEO of PepsiCo), India, United States
Angela Braly, (President and CEO for WellPoint, Inc.), United States
Cynthia Carroll, (CEO of Anglo American PLC, the world's largest platinum producer) United States, United Kingdom
Irene Rosenfeld, (CEO and Chairperson, Kraft Foods), United States
Condoleezza Rice, (former US Secretary of State) United States
Ho Ching, (CEO of Temasek Holdings) Singapore
Anne Lauvergeon, (President of Areva, a nuclear power company) France
Anne Mulcahy, (Chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation), United States

Analysis of the other 90 most powerful women

Other than these 10, the list comprises 54 businesswomen and 23 politicians, with the rest working as media executives, personalities, and non-profit leaders. A third are newcomers to the rankings and more women from outside the U.S. are rising to worldwide prominence.

Just under half the women ranked this year are based outside of the U.S. Top countries represented include the U.K. (five women), China (four), France, India and the Netherlands (three each). Morocco has its first ranked woman this year: Hynd Bouhia (No. 29), director-general of the Casablanca Stock Exchange.

Candidates don't have to be rich, but they do have to wield significant influence. This year, an architect, a war correspondent and several foundation executives all won spots on the list. The woman with the highest public profile is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, No. 28, who garnered intense media scrutiny for her failed U.S. presidential bid.