In an attempt to destroy the notion that women can only gain power by working behind the scenes and forging consensus, Forbes magazine compiled a list of the world's 100 most powerful women using what it called a 'power scorecard'.
'For each candidate, we came up with a numerical weight defined by her title and resume, the size of the economic sphere in which she wields power... and the number of global media mentions,' the magazine said.
Sonia Gandhi, ranked the third most powerful woman, is the only Indian on the list. Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is ranked fourteenth while Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga ranks 44. Burmese opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi follows at 45.
Twenty-five of the 100 are from the US and six -- including Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, and Cherie Booth Blair -- are from the UK. Thirty-four-year-old Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, at number 13, is the youngest on the list. And though the ages of five on the list are not available, the oldest is Liliane Bettencourt, 81, owner of L'Oreal, who is ranked at 79.
According to Forbes, 'these are the women who should be on every little girl's list of "Who I Want to Be When I Grow Up".'
Proceed to see the top 10.