held head of state or head of government positions. Barely 5% of CEOs and 10% of billionaires

are women. With such a dramatic minority, we wanted to take a look at some of the world’s

most influential female figures. So, who are a few of the most powerful women in the world?

For the past decade, the most powerful woman in the world has been German Chancellor, Angela

Merkel. Merkel was Germany’s first female head of government and almost singlehandedly

saved the EU from financial collapse. Currently she is negotiating Greece’s fiscal woes.

She is so powerful that in political circles she is known as “the decider," and is effectively

considered the leader of the entire European Union. In 2012 Forbes ranked her the second

most powerful person in the world.

Another extremely powerful woman is philanthropist and businesswoman, Melinda Gates.

As the co-founder and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, she has used their 40 billion

dollar endowment to focus on global health care, and empowering women and girls around the world.

In a similar vein, Oprah Winfrey is considered one of the most influential

women in America, and is the richest African American in the world.

On the business side, Indra Nooyi is the CEO of one of the largest food and drink companies, PepsiCo.

Since 1994, she has overseen numerous mergers, acquisitions, and a steady increase

in market share and stock price. Under her tenure, there have even been moves to invest

in renewable energy, and to combat obesity. As the head of the multinational, 65 billion

dollar a year company, Indra Nooyi is overwhelmingly powerful.

Financially, the two people who control the majority of the world’s money are both women.

Janet Yellen is the first female head of the Federal Reserve in the United States, which

has a large hand in determining the country’s economic policy. For the rest of the world,

including 188 countries, the International Monetary Fund is also headed by a woman, Christine Lagarde.

Lagarde has worked to increase the participation of women in the workforce, worldwide.

No list of powerful women would be complete without the First Lady of the Free World,

Michelle Obama. As the wife of US President Barack Obama, Michelle has used her status

and influence to address the issues of obesity and inactivity in the United States.

She is also one of the leading forces behind the education and financial empowerment of young women.

Michelle’s impact as the first African American First Lady can not be overstated.

The world needs more powerful women to continue the trend of empowering and upholding women’s rights.

Although the percentage of women in parliament around the world has doubled in

the last decade, they still make up a small proportion of high ranking government positions.

And if women make up half the population, shouldn’t they get equal representation

just like everybody deserves?

Another one of the most powerful women in the world is using that power to run for President in 2016.

You’ve probably heard of her. To get a better sense of what Hillary Clinton

is about, check out this political profile. Thanks for watching TestTube News, make sure

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