Women from the technology and financial sectors make up nearly half of the 25 Most Powerful Women in the World, according to Forbes.
12 of the 25 women on the list are heavyweights in the financial and technology world, despite these sectors being seen as traditionally dominated by men. US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is the third most powerful woman in the world according to the article, being beaten to the top spot by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Forbes measure money, media presence, spheres of influence and their collective impact on the world to compile the list, with women coming from a variety of sectors including politics and business.
Seven of the women in the list have made their name in the technology sector, including Apple Senior VP Angela Ahrendts at number 15, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty at number 11 and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg at number seven. Those from the financial world include Bank of India Chair Arundhati Bhattacharya, Banco Santander Chair Ana Patrica Botin and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
Several well-known females political figures also made the list, including Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of women who are world leaders has more than doubled since 2005.
Despite this, large global corporations have been heavily criticised for their lack of inclusion in the workplace. According to the latest survey by Catalyst, women occupy just 4 percent of corner offices at S&P 500 companies and hold only 25 percent of executive or senior-level jobs in those same firms.