Who is the most powerful woman in the world?

[NineToTheSky]

In a local news report Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods was called 'the second most powerful woman in the world'.

Who is the most powerful?

[Zsofia]

The Queen of England? Oprah? Probably Oprah.

[Annie-Xmas]

Michelle Obama (http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2010/1007/Michelle-Obama-why-she-s-rated-the-world-s-most-powerful-woman)

[WordMan]

They may be referring to this list (http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/fortune/1009/gallery.most_powerful_women.fortune/index.html)- it's Pepsi's CEO...

[lieu]

I can think of a few candidates:
Oprah
Madonna
Sonia Sotomayor
Nancy Pelosi
Michelle Obama
Hillary Clinton
Angela Merkel
Nancy Grace

[WordMan]

They may be referring to this list (http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/fortune/1009/gallery.most_powerful_women.fortune/index.html)- it's Pepsi's CEO...

I forgot to add: if you click on this link and the next ranking, Irene Rosenfeld is listed as #2. QED.

[Gagundathar]

My lovely bride is not on that list.
It is obviously flawed.

I am posting this of my own free will.








Really.

[NineToTheSky]

They may be referring to this list (http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/fortune/1009/gallery.most_powerful_women.fortune/index.html)- it's Pepsi's CEO...

I forgot to add: if you click on this link and the next ranking, Irene Rosenfeld is listed as #2. QED.

True. But what is your opinion? That's why I put this in IMHO, not GQ.

[WordMan]

I forgot to add: if you click on this link and the next ranking, Irene Rosenfeld is listed as #2. QED.

True. But what is your opinion? That's why I put this in IMHO, not GQ.

From a ranking of business leadership it is a reasonable choice. But that list is only about business leadership not folks like Madonna or the Queen...

[NineToTheSky]

That's what made me think about this. Is Madonna powerful? She sells - or used to - a lot of records, but she certainly hasn't influenced my life. The Queen? Nominally, she is powerful; but actually? I'm not sure she actually has much influence.

[MegaBee]

Oprah

[NineToTheSky]

Oprah
Why? Maybe in the States, but here in the UK, and, I suspect the rest of the world, it's a name I know, as a TV interviewer, but how has she influenced the world?

(I'm not being snarky. I really don't know.)

[Zsofia]

Well, the US is a big part of the world and our media influences a lot of other countries. Oprah has a big impact on what American women buy, for one thing. She's also been very influential in book sales and, god help us, ideas good and bad (The Secret, Jenny McCarthy's anti vaccination campaign.)

[SmellMyWort]

I think Oprah telling her viewers not to buy Pepsi for xyz reason would have a much greater impact than Pepsi's CEO telling her employees not to watch, read, surf, etc. Oprah. Just sayin.

[cmkeller]

leiu: Surely Ruth Bader Ginsburg is as powerful or more so than Sonia Sotomayor?

[lieu]

That's who I started to put at first, she's certainly more tenured, but I thought with the loss of her husband and recent health concerns that she might be retiring before too long. Does she still have the fire? Sotomayor and Kagan both may be there for decades to come.

[Skammer]

I think Michelle Obama, although she wields it indirectly.

[Barkis is Willin']

Oprah has the most money and influence.

[Morbo]

I guess it's how you define power.

How about Safra Catz? If she drops the ball, I don't see any competing technologies ready to step in without crippling a huge amount of companies' dependence on Oracle in some way, shape or form.

Or what if Queen Rania lost her mind and asked all of her people / supporters / admirers to start hating Germans or something?

[Ximenean]

Surely it's Wonder Woman? She has a magical lasso.

[Arnold Winkelried]

Isn't the current governor-general of Australia a woman? (checking) yes, it's Quentin Bryce. Being the head of the Australian government must be a pretty powerful position.

[panache45]

My guess would be Hillary Clinton . . . not because of any monumental policy change she'll enact, but because of the thousands of little ways that she'll make a difference. A Secretary of State has enormous power to influence policies on a global scale . . . usually behind-the-scene changes that the public knows little about, and often as an intermediary between rival factions.

[alphaboi867]

Isn't the current governor-general of Australia a woman? (checking) yes, it's Quentin Bryce. Being the head of the Australian government must be a pretty powerful position.

The Governor-General is ceremonial figurehead (& representative of another ceremonial figurehead). In practice she doesn't have any power she can exercise except on the "advice" of the Prime Minister (Julia Gillard, who is also a woman). A Governor-General did dismiss the PM, once (in the 1970s), but that was a highly unusual situtation unlikely to be repeated.

[multimediac17]

Madonna may be the most powerful woman in music, and a candidate for most famous woman in the world, but I wouldn't say the most powerful overall. I would, however, take the notion that it could be Oprah very seriously.

[Arnold Winkelried]

Isn't the current governor-general of Australia a woman? (checking) yes, it's Quentin Bryce. Being the head of the Australian government must be a pretty powerful position.

The Governor-General is ceremonial figurehead (& representative of another ceremonial figurehead).Whoops! :o

[Markxxx]

In a local news report Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods was called 'the second most powerful woman in the world'.

Who is the most powerful?

God

[BigT]

In a local news report Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods was called 'the second most powerful woman in the world'.

Who is the most powerful?

God

Alanis Morisette?

[Cunctator]

Isn't the current governor-general of Australia a woman? (checking) yes, it's Quentin Bryce. Being the head of the Australian government must be a pretty powerful position.

The Governor-General is ceremonial figurehead (& representative of another ceremonial figurehead). In practice she doesn't have any power she can exercise except on the "advice" of the Prime Minister (Julia Gillard, who is also a woman). A Governor-General did dismiss the PM, once (in the 1970s), but that was a highly unusual situtation unlikely to be repeated.The PM, Julia Gillard, made the Top 100 list, at 58. She was well and truly beaten in the Australian stakes by Gail Kelly, CEO of one of the major Australian banks, who was ranked 8th.

[multimediac17]

God

Alanis Morisette?

I can't tell if this is ironic or not.

[SCSimmons]

Oprah was #6 on that Fortune list, BTW.

[Siam Sam]

If we're talking about the entire world and not just North America, Europe and Australia, which is what many people mean when they say "the entire world" (as I always like to point out), then Oprah probably comes up a wash. I doubt anyone in Thailand or the neighboring countries has even heard of her. The only times I ever seem to hear anything about her myself is reading this Board.

My money's on Hillary Clinton.

[even sven]

This topic is actually pretty darn sad.

There are a large number of men out there who could drop nuclear bombs, and a handful that could destroy the world. There are hundreds that can start wars that affect millions. There are countless men who, with nothing more than an email, could move billions of dollars. They can buy and sell corporations that employ countless people, and that fill our world with huge amounts of complex stuff. There are the men at the top of the IMF and World Bank who decide the course of nations.

Men with the power to affect people and move money on a grand, measurable scale are a dime a dozen. The world is lousy with powerful men.

And here we are, justifying to ourselves that "a thousand little differences" is anywhere near the same thing.

Women still have a ways to go.

[Shamozzle]

I can think of a few candidates:
Oprah
Madonna
Sonia Sotomayor
Nancy Pelosi
Michelle Obama
Hillary Clinton
Angela Merkel
Nancy Grace
Nancy Freaking Grace?? Do you mean by smell?

[Siam Sam]

I don't think I've even heard of Sonia Sotomayor or Nancy Grace. They certainly don't ring a bell if I have.

EDIT: Just looked them up. Of course, now I remember Sonia Sotomayor, but I doubt she's the most powerful woman in the world. I saw her on BBC at the time she was nominated, then she's dropped out of the world news completely since then. The other one is definitely new to me.

[Zsofia]

This topic is actually pretty darn sad.

There are a large number of men out there who could drop nuclear bombs, and a handful that could destroy the world. There are hundreds that can start wars that affect millions. There are countless men who, with nothing more than an email, could move billions of dollars. They can buy and sell corporations that employ countless people, and that fill our world with huge amounts of complex stuff. There are the men at the top of the IMF and World Bank who decide the course of nations.

Men with the power to affect people and move money on a grand, measurable scale are a dime a dozen. The world is lousy with powerful men.

And here we are, justifying to ourselves that "a thousand little differences" is anywhere near the same thing.

Women still have a ways to go.
If it makes you feel any better, Hilary Clinton could probably get some nuclear bombs dropped if she really wanted to. Maybe Nancy Pelosi or Michelle Obama.

[even sven]

If it makes you feel any better, Hilary Clinton could probably get some nuclear bombs dropped if she really wanted to. Maybe Nancy Pelosi or Michelle Obama.

I don't think she could do it on her own. If Obama decided that nuking Iraq was the way to go, unless a really ballsy person in the command chain refuses orders, that is what is going to happen. All Clinton could do would be to hope that someone who has the power to make the decision will listen to her. Technically, all of us have that kind of power.

[Raguleader]

Queen Elizabeth II doesn't have any direct power that I'm aware of (I think she can dissolve the Cabinet and order new elections, but it's one of those things that either has never been done or is done only very rarely). That said, I get the impression that if the Queen says that something should be done, the folks in the government will at least listen and seriously consider it (IIRC, her official role in the government is that of a permanent advisor to the various administrations that come to power over the years, someone who has the experience and perpsective to be able to let even the most inexperienced Prime Minister know how the UK has handled relations with whatever random country in the past 50 years.)

[NineToTheSky]

This topic is actually pretty darn sad.

...

Women still have a ways to go.

This is what I was thinking. Historically, there have been a very small number of influential women - Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandi, Queen Elizabeth I, for example - but I don't think anyone mentioned in this thread has anything like the power that most men have. A singer? A secretary of state? A TV presenter? And, as has been said, their spheres of influence are mainly very US-centric.

Agreed: sad.

[elfkin477]

I don't think I've even heard of Sonia Sotomayor or Nancy Grace. They certainly don't ring a bell if I have.

EDIT: Just looked them up. Of course, now I remember Sonia Sotomayor, but I doubt she's the most powerful woman in the world. I saw her on BBC at the time she was nominated, then she's dropped out of the world news completely since then. The other one is definitely new to me. Nancy Grace is probably best known for berating the mother of a missing toddler and possibly triggering the woman's suicide shortly thereafter.

My first thoughts were Clinton and Wonderwoman, so I need to think harder.

[Imasquare]

Isn't the current governor-general of Australia a woman? (checking) yes, it's Quentin Bryce. Being the head of the Australian government must be a pretty powerful position.

Not really - Australia is a small country with a smaller economy than California. Also the governor general doesn't set any of the government policy.

My guess is Hilary Clinton.

[don't ask]

Michelle Obama. She gets head from the head of the free world.

[Nava]

If we're talking about the entire world and not just North America, Europe and Australia, which is what many people mean when they say "the entire world" (as I always like to point out), then Oprah probably comes up a wash. I doubt anyone in Thailand or the neighboring countries has even heard of her. The only times I ever seem to hear anything about her myself is reading this Board.

My money's on Hillary Clinton.

I can assure you that Oprah is not a household name in non-English-speaking European countries at all. In some, there isn't even the issue of her name coming up in American programs, because of the current tendency to substitute local household names for foreign ones on translation rather than keep a reference which would fall completely flat with the new audience.

And, seriously, Madonna?

I'd pick either Hillary Clinton or any of the female heads of government, there's quite a few around. I get a chuckle of the fact that hearing "Clinton" on the news used to mean Bill (if it was Hillary, they specified) and nowadays it means Hillary (if it happens to be Bill, they specify).

[MEBuckner]

Angela Merkel is Chancellor of Germany, the country with the fifth largest national economy in the world (and, to go by more old-fashioned views of "powerful", has the sixth-largest defense budget).

For runners up, I'd include Julia Gillard (Prime Minister of Australia, an advanced, first world nation with a pretty strong military) and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (President of Argentina, the twenty-third largest national economy in the world and a major regional power).

Nancy fucking Grace isn't even on the list. Sheesh.

[lieu]

Nancy Grace was included as a 'catch all' for TV talking heads that have strong social and political views and potentially reach a fairly significant audience. You could include Christiane Amanpour, Barbara Walters, Rachel Madow and several others in there too. No, they're likely not going to have the reach some of the other candidates would but for the purposes of this discussion I figured they were worth considering as part of a thoughtful discussion rather than rejected in a brash dismissal. No matter.

[Jet Jaguar]

Super-Mechaoprah.

[Gymnopithys]

Wen Jiabao's wife ?

(You never know what's going on behind the scenes in China)

[tdn]

The one with the biggest tits.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Angela Merkel. Not even a question.

[NineToTheSky]

I think one of the reasons that there have been disagreements is that no-one has specified how local or global the woman's influence is.

If we narrow it down to my home, I'd say it has to be Mrs Nine. Globally, I'm not sure that there is a woman who is that powerful.

[NineToTheSky]

Angela Merkel. Not even a question.

In Germany? Yes. The EC? Certainly. The USA, China, Japan, India? I don't think so.

I don't think the financial/economic or political policies of the EC, let alone just Germany influence the rest of the world that strongly. I suppose she could instigate another credit crunch or WWIII, but that's stretching the imagination a bit.

[Really Not All That Bright]

The question doesn't ask who the most powerful woman in China is. It asks who the most powerful woman in the world is. Merkel's power may be confined largely to Germany, but she still has more of it than anyone else.

Put it this way: if you gave every powerful woman in the world a random objective, which one is most likely to achieve it? If it's making a book a best-seller or drawing viewers, it's Oprah. If it's selling records, it's Lady Gaga. Otherwise, it's probably Merkel.

[Manda JO]

Angela Merkel. Not even a question.

In Germany? Yes. The EC? Certainly. The USA, China, Japan, India? I don't think so.

I don't think the financial/economic or political policies of the EC, let alone just Germany influence the rest of the world that strongly. I suppose she could instigate another credit crunch or WWIII, but that's stretching the imagination a bit.

The question isn't "Which woman has the most power everywhere in the world?" because no one is powerful everywhere. While Angela Merkel may not have much power in the US, China, Japan, or India, she arguably has more power in her sphere than any woman does in any of those other spheres.

To be the most powerful, you have to have more power over more people than anyone else. Angela Merkin is at least a very serious contender for that title.

[Tom Scud]

Angela Merkel. Not even a question.

Only real rivals are Hilary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi (and possibly the female Supreme Court justices), depending on how you rate having a subordinate but still powerful position in a more powerful state.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Pelosi has a great deal of power on paper, but seems disinclined (or unable) to exercise it, so I'm not sure she's even a contender. Bit like the Queen.

Hilary can't do anything without Obama's explicit instructions, or at least agreement, so I don't give her many points. The Supreme Court Justices have zero power (and less recognition) outside the US, whereas Merkel has some power of the affairs of other states.

[Candyman74]

Well, the list appears to be "most powerful American businesswomen", with a couple of - American - exceptions.

The Queen is enormously influential, and has known dozens of prime ministers, presidents, kings, etc. over her 50-year reign. Although she exercises no actual legal power, she certainly interacts with these people, and is regarded as one of the world's primary states-people. There aren't many people on this planet who have known the number of world leaders she has, and have the experience of being in the position for 50 years.

It seems the list is measured in terms of money, though - how much money these people make for their respective organisations. Certainly there's a prominent dollar figure in every entry.

[SpartanDC]

To be the most powerful, you have to have more power over more people than anyone else. Angela Merkin is at least a very serious contender for that title.

I saw a movie with Angela Merkin once, and while she was very flexible and had amazing stamina, I'm not sure that really makes her the most powerful woman in the world.

:D

But seriously, the answer is Angela Merkel. People often fail to appreciate how much sway the German economy has over the rest of Europe. Her actions, and the actions of her government, will have a lot of say in deciding whether Greece (and others) go belly-up and bring the whole global economy crashing down around them. And even without that, the sheer size of their economy and military makes her a pretty clear choice.

I'd say Hillary Clinton is No. 2. Being the lead diplomat of the most powerful nation on earth plus a global celebrity is a pretty potent combination.

[Shamozzle]

Nancy Grace was included as a 'catch all' for TV talking heads that have strong social and political views and potentially reach a fairly significant audience. You could include Christiane Amanpour, Barbara Walters, Rachel Madow and several others in there too. No, they're likely not going to have the reach some of the other candidates would but for the purposes of this discussion I figured they were worth considering as part of a thoughtful discussion rather than rejected in a brash dismissal. No matter.I was just teasing. I just wanted to use my powerful smell joke. (I'm easily amused.)

[SanVito]

But seriously, the answer is Angela Merkel. People often fail to appreciate how much sway the German economy has over the rest of Europe. Her actions, and the actions of her government, will have a lot of say in deciding whether Greece (and others) go belly-up and bring the whole global economy crashing down around them. And even without that, the sheer size of their economy and military makes her a pretty clear choice.

I'd say Hillary Clinton is No. 2. Being the lead diplomat of the most powerful nation on earth plus a global celebrity is a pretty potent combination.

Totally agree with you on these two. Oprah may be able to shift a load of books (in the US, specifically) but she can't topple nations.

Germany is the European powerhouse, influencing 27 member countries. Angela gets my vote.

[Sevastopol]

Another vote for Angela Merkel. To add that Germany is at least the second largest export nation: Exporter Nations (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2078rank.html).

That counts for a lot.

[Siam Sam]

But seriously, the answer is Angela Merkel. People often fail to appreciate how much sway the German economy has over the rest of Europe. Her actions, and the actions of her government, will have a lot of say in deciding whether Greece (and others) go belly-up and bring the whole global economy crashing down around them. And even without that, the sheer size of their economy and military makes her a pretty clear choice.

I'd say Hillary Clinton is No. 2. Being the lead diplomat of the most powerful nation on earth plus a global celebrity is a pretty potent combination.

I can see the case for Angela Merkel.

It always stymies me when people vote for performers or celebrities in these sorts of polls (regardless of Bono, whom I've always found to be overrated).

[casdave]

UK interest rates are heavily influenced by event in Europe, and particularly what Germany does.

From there, it is not a great walk to see how international money markets can be influenced.

The toxic debts in Greece, and the austerity measures in France are influenced with the requirement for certain financial standards, and it seems to be Germany that is effectively the policeman for this, since it has the money to set many of the terms and conditions.

I'm sure that France would dearly love to please its own citizens more, especially in the light of the recent protests, however it is adhering to standards which were set down some time ago, and which are tightening up ever more, and German is a huge player in this.

Angela Merkal therefore has to be considered the most powerful woman around, if she were to change her governments policy, the effects would hit the markets around the globe.
Don't forget that a large part of the investment in Eastern Europe is coming from Germany too so Germany is likely to become more important, especially when companies are outsourcing.

[monavis]

Who is the most powerful is a matter of who or what a person means by powerful; there can be many powerful women or men,it is a matter of who does the survey. Many are also well known because of the press they get. To me it is a matter of opinion.

[The Other Waldo Pepper]

It always stymies me when people vote for performers or celebrities in these sorts of polls (regardless of Bono, whom I've always found to be overrated).

For what it's worth, though, Oprah isn't just a celebrity with a big following; ignore what she says in the magazines she publishes and the television show she hosts, and ignore the 24-hour-a-day radio station featuring contributors from both; ignore the leadership academy she set up in Africa, ignore that she's calling the shots at Harpo Productions to get films like THE GREAT DEBATERS or PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH made -- and ignore the book club that routinely makes the novel of her choice into a bestseller, at that.

Ignore all of that and she's a multibillionaire -- who just happens to have all that other stuff at her disposal whenever she wants to play charity fundraiser or advocate for a cause, whenever she can't accomplish something with her personal wealth.

[The Bith Shuffle]

I'm surprised Angela Merkel is even contested in this thread. It doesn't matter how much money Oprah has or how many books she has sold. It doesn't matter that Michelle can whisper in Barack's ear. Merkel is chancellor of Germany. She is the most powerful, period.

[Manda JO]

[snip]

Ignore all of that and she's a multibillionaire -- who just happens to have all that other stuff at her disposal whenever she wants to play charity fundraiser or advocate for a cause, whenever she can't accomplish something with her personal wealth.

Germany provides 7.5 billion in economic aid in a given year: they have a budget of 1.6 trillion. If Angela Merkel controls even 1% of that--hell, half of one percent of that--she controls many times more money in a year than Oprah has earned in her lifetime. Individual wealth just can't be compared to the major economies of the world.

Plus, I'd rather have Merkel/Germany on my side in a war than Oprah.

ETA: Cite (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html)

[even sven]

Let's say Oprah gets some completely crazy nutso idea in her head. What is the most damage she could do?

Probably not much. People would just stop listening to her. Power is more than just having access to an audience.

[kidchameleon]

but I don't think anyone mentioned in this thread has anything like the power that most men have.

Possession of the remote control? C'mon, these women are way more powerful than most men.

[sleeping]

Jean Grey, if she has the Phoenix force.

[NineToTheSky]

but I don't think anyone mentioned in this thread has anything like the power that most men have.

Possession of the remote control? C'mon, these women are way more powerful than most men.
In this household I am master of the remote.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Let's say Oprah gets some completely crazy nutso idea in her head. What is the most damage she could do?
*ahem (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/05/04/oprah-drinks-the-antivax-kool-aid/)*

Still, I suspect the whole antivax movement is still less damaging than the Luftwaffe.

[Mighty_Girl]

If we're talking about the entire world and not just North America, Europe and Australia, which is what many people mean when they say "the entire world" (as I always like to point out), then Oprah probably comes up a wash. I doubt anyone in Thailand or the neighboring countries has even heard of her. The only times I ever seem to hear anything about her myself is reading this Board.
Yep, Oprah is a nobody in almost the rest of the world. More people have heard of Bill Gates than they have heard of Oprah outside the US, and he has more money.

Angela Merkel is Chancellor of Germany, the country with the fifth largest national economy in the world (and, to go by more old-fashioned views of "powerful", has the sixth-largest defense budget).My vote too, followed by Hillary Clinton and followed by the various female presidents, prime ministers, chancellors and whatevers of the world.

Angela Merkel. Not even a question.

In Germany? Yes. The EC? Certainly. The USA, China, Japan, India? I don't think so.But what if she decides she'd really like to redecorate Poland. ;)

[Siam Sam]

It always stymies me when people vote for performers or celebrities in these sorts of polls (regardless of Bono, whom I've always found to be overrated).

For what it's worth, though, Oprah isn't just a celebrity with a big following; ignore what she says in the magazines she publishes and the television show she hosts, and ignore the 24-hour-a-day radio station featuring contributors from both; ignore the leadership academy she set up in Africa, ignore that she's calling the shots at Harpo Productions to get films like THE GREAT DEBATERS or PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH made -- and ignore the book club that routinely makes the novel of her choice into a bestseller, at that.

Ignore all of that and she's a multibillionaire -- who just happens to have all that other stuff at her disposal whenever she wants to play charity fundraiser or advocate for a cause, whenever she can't accomplish something with her personal wealth.

I can and do ignore all of that with ease, because all of that, except for some little academy in Africa, is completely domestic in the US and never makes the news over here. Except for some scandal involving the academy; that did make the news, I recall.

[Count Blucher]

I guess it depends on your definition of power. Does Spell Casting Ability count? Because if it does, there's that candidate from Delaware that...

*poof!*

*Re-deep. Re-deep.*