10 Most Powerful Mothers in the World

Women are normally portrayed as weak compared to men. Even in the household, the father is the head of the family and is the one in the position to make decisions for the entire family. But this age is an age characterized by an increasing interest in the principles of women empowerment and gender equality. These days, women and men are treated fairly inside the home, in the workplace and everywhere. Unlike before when mothers were submissive and acted subordinate to fathers, mothers today are just as powerful as their counterparts—managing billions in their bank accounts, leading organizations and even nations. Here is a list of the ten most powerful mothers in the world today based on the money they control and their influence and power when it comes to decision making.

10. Sheryl Sandberg

Photo Source: http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/steve_clemons/Sheryl_Sandberg.jpg

Born on August 28, 1969, Sheryl Sandberg is an American business tycoon who has been the chief operating officer of Facebook since 2008. In 2012, she became the first woman to have ever been elected in the board of directors of Facebook. She completed her AB Economics degree at Harvard University in 1991 as summa cum laude and was awarded the John H. Williams Prize for the top graduating students in Economics. She used to be a research assistant in World Bank and worked on health projects in India, particularly those dealing with AIDS, leprosy and blindness. She finished her MA degree in Harvard Business School where she got the highest distinction. Since 2007, she has been among the most powerful women list of the Forbes Magazine because of her unparalleled leadership skills. Before she served Facebook, she was the Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google.

9. Janet Napolitano

Photo Source: http://images.politico.com/global/news/110404_janet_napolitano_ap_605.jpg

A member of the Democratic Party, Janet Napolitano is known as the first woman to serve as the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. She has been in the office since 2009, following her six-year term as the 21^st Governor of Arizona. She was also the first woman and the 23^rd person to serve as the Attorney General of Arizona, where she pushed for innovative gun laws such as the Youth Handgun Safety Act. She began entering the public stage when she served as attorney for Anita Hill during the Senate testimony against the US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas in 1991. Among her major achievements was her being one of the prosecutors of the first Violence Against Women cases in the United States, punishing offenders who committed acts of domestic violence. As the Governor of Arizona, she converted $1 billion deficit in year 2003 to a $300 surplus without calling for a raise in taxes.

8. Christine Lagarde

Photo Source: http://liveindia.tv/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/images/14_IMF-HEAD.jpg

Christine Lagarde is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Union for a Popular Movement politician. As a French lawyer, she was appointed as the Minister of Economic Affairs, Finances and Industry, as well as the Minister of Agriculture and Fishing of the French Government. She was the first woman to have ever become the Finance Minister of a G8 economy and was also the first woman to have been called to the IMF leadership. Aside from being an active lawyer who held several ministerial positions in the French government, she also was the first female chairman of Baker & McKenzie, an internationally acclaimed law firm. Following her appointment, the Financial Times recognized her as the best Minister of Finance in the Eurozone. In 2012, she finished her doctoral degree from the KY Leuven.

7. Michelle Obama

Photo Source: http://www.humanevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/m_obama.jpg

An American lawyer and writer, Michelle Obama is known as the first African-American First Lady of the United States. She grew up in the South Side of Chicago where she attended Princeton University and Harvard School of Law. She previously worked as one of the staff members of Richard Delay, former Mayor of Chicago. When her husband ran for US Presidency in 2007, Michelle Obama was there to help in the campaign. Since President Barack Obama won the presidential bid in the United States, his wife Michelle has been a fashion icon and a role model for women as well as an advocate for poverty awareness, nutrition and healthy eating. She has been widely admired because of her decorum and sense of style. Among the advocacies that she championed was the amendment of the Human Rights Act, in which she included the protection of the LGBT people through prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

6. Sonia Gandhi

Photo Source: http://static.ibnlive.in.com/ibnlive/pix/sitepix/05_2012/sonia_upa_cong_pti.jpg

The widow of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi is an Indian politician who was elected as President of the Indian Congress in 1998. Since 2004, she has been the Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance since 1998 and has been the longest-running President of the Congress party. In 1999, Sonia Gandhi was also elected the Leader of the Opposition of the 13^th Lok Sabha where she called for a non-confidence motion against the NDA Government. During the 2004 general elections in India, she initiated a nationwide campaign to counter the “India Shining” slogan of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) by launching a slogan saying “Who is India Shining for?” She won the 2004 elections and became the Prime Minister of India, and was elected to lead a 15-party coalition government which eventually became the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), where she played a key role in making the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Right to Information Act into law.

5. Jill Abramson

Photo Source: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Business/Pix/pictures/2011/6/3/1307100578627/Jill-Abramson-007.jpg

Jill Abramson was the first woman who held the executive editor position of the The New York Times in its 160-year history. She finished her B.A. in History and Literature Degree from Harvard University in 1976. During her undergraduate years, Abramson served as the Arts editor of The Harvard Independent and also became one of the editors of Time Magazine. She had served as a senior reporter in the Washington Bureau of The Wall Street Journal until she got her promotion as the deputy bureau chief years in 2000. With Jane Mayer, she co-authored Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas, a controversial publication which exposed the confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas. In 2011, she replaced Bill Keller as the new executive director of Times.

4. Melinda Gates

Photo Source: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/9/17/1284749435783/Melinda-Gates-006.jpg

The wife of the richest man in the world Bill Gates, Melinda Gates is an American businesswoman and philanthropist who once served as a Project Manager for Microsoft Bob, Microsoft Encarta and Microsoft Expedia. As one of the members of the Board of Trustees of Duke University from 1996 to 2003, she took part in several Bilderberg Group Conferences. Melinda Gates also held a Director position in the Washington Post Company. Since she retired from the board of Drugstore.com, she has been actively serving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which she established herself together with her husband Bill Gates. She has been widely recognized for her world impact through charity, particularly in the areas of health and education. She was also the one who chaired The Campaign for Children, a fund raising campaign that sought to expand the facilities of hospitals for better healthcare among children.

3. Dilma Rouseff

Photo Source: http://tenacarlos.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/dilma-rousseff.jpg

Known as the first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rouseff is a Brazilian politician who previously served as the Chief of Staff of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil. Together with her partner Carlos Araujo, Rouseff founded the Democratic Labour Party (PDT) in Rio Grande do Sul where she participated in several electoral campaigns. Prior to that, she was also the Secretary of the Treasury of the City of Porto Alegre during the administration of Alceu Collares. Following her term, she joined the Worker’s Party and was appointed as the Minister of Energy. She took over the post of Jose Dirceu following his resignation due to issues on corruption. She ran and was elected President of Brazil in 2011.

2. Hilary Clinton

Photo Source: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/audio/video/2013/1/23/1358956313048/Hillary-Clinton-testifies-011.jpg

The 67^th United States Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton was the wife of former US President Bill Clinton and is currently a diplomat serving under President Barack Obama. In 1977, she cofounded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and served as the first female chief of the Legal Services Corporation a year after. In 1979, she became the first female partner at Rose Law Firm and was tagged among the most influential lawyers in the United States. As the First Lady during the reign of President Bill Clinton, she led a task force to reform the education system of Arkansas. The Clinton Health Care Plan was also among her major initiatives, though it failed to gain approval from the US Congress. Since 1997, she has been an advocate of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program as well as the Adoption and Safe Families Act.

1. Angela Merkel

Photo Source: http://images.forbes.com/media/lists/11/2006/34AH.jpg

Dubbed as “The De Facto Leader of the European Union,” Angela Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany and the Leader of the Christian Democratic Union. She is a German female politician who began to make a name in the field of politics during the Revolutions of 1989, when she served as the deputy spokesperson for the East German Government. Following her appointment, she became the Federal Minister for Women and Youth in 1991 and was promoted as the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety three years after. In 2007, she chaired the G8 and was elected President of the European Council. Among her advocacies since she started politics are the strengthening of transatlantic economic relations, energy development and healthcare reform.