Forbe's Names List of "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" & I Almost Missed It!

A few days ago I was logging into my Yahoo mail and I caught a quick glimpse of an announcement of the Forbes' List of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" (but I was running out (BTW, I am powerful in my household) and I thought it would be all over the news and I would see it again. Well, now that I look for it, I have to do a full on search... hmm.. I wonder if it was a list of powerful men would I really have to work that hard? I wanted to make sure that Spirited Woman readers heard about the list too.

These women's rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility - by press mentions -- and the size of the organization or country these women lead. So, you're thinking Oprah, right? Nope...she's number 41! It's not your usual "who's who" of the entertainment crowd and it really opened my eyes (once again) to how much is going on in the world outside the U.S.

For the 4th year in a row, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is Number #1. She is the first female Chancellor of Germany and at the end of September when she seeks a second term in national general election she will be ditching her current "party" (Social Democrats) to form new coalition with the liberal Free Democrats. And you know what? Forbes reports that a recent opinion polls favor her succession (that means they like her enough to stick with her no matter what party she is in).

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of fantastic women from the U.S. but most of them are the heads of such powerhouse companies (versus a chancellor) as PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, DuPont, Sunici, Yahoo, and from Xerox there are even 2 who made the list!

So what do you think makes a powerful woman? Some one who gets all the press or someone who gets the job done? I would love to know what you think of the Forbes' List of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women."

- Kristin Flannery
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Comments

[Kristin]

DC,
Thank you for taking the time to explain it. I really appreciate the complex system and your help navigating it. Your statement "She personifies the qualities of service, integrity and trust, first of all, in herself. " is powerful and very true.
Much appreciated,
Kristin

[Diana C.]

Kristin,

Being German and following the German news every day, I would like to make two clarifying comments to the readers of this article.....Contrary to here in the States, Germany has a multi-party system (about 5).
Angela Merkel is a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)which for the last four years governed, as it was called, in a 'big coalition' with the Social Democrats (SPD). These two are considered the main parties harvesting most of the votes. Usually, in order to have a majority, the winning party has to team up with one of the smaller parties. During the last legislation, ballot circumstances turned out so unfortunate that the two main opponents had to form a 'big coalition'..... which makes this election campaign look very tame and polite.....and neither party wants to continue in this fashion

My personal take on what makes Angela Merkel the most powerful woman in the world (Forbes)? is: I suggest you forget GENDER and look at her education, doctor of physics, and acclaimed scientist.In Germany most male politicians hold a degrees in some science field. AM has an academic education which enables her to communicate with men in a manner and on a level they can understand and MUST respect because she IS one among EQUALS and,therefore, accepted as a (female) leader in politics. Additionally, people who grew up and worked in the East of Germany for the majority of their lives developed a higher sense and degree of diplomacy and survival strategies to not only cope but survive or even be successful in the system.
Angela Merkel's position and fame does not come from (family)money,(illusionary)show biz or (personal) greed for power. She personifies the qualities of service, integrity and trust, first of all, in herself. She emanates the energies of a mother who teaches her children right from wrong but allows them to make their own experiences.
DC

[Kristin]

True Cynthia, True!

[Cynthia Harris]

A woman who gets the job done is a powerful woman in my book!