Top 10 influential women of 2010: From Angela Merkel to Greta Thunberg, female figures who owned the decade
Women, over the past decade, have made great strides across fields, with some making insurmountable efforts to change their place in societies riddled with patriarchal dominance, and succeeding.
From shattering the glass ceiling to becoming the first female US presidency nominee; creating and becoming the face of a worldwide climate change revolution; being the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to being the uncontested leader of Europe for over a decade, women leaders have revolutionized how their gender is viewed, and have left their indelible mark in the world.
As we head into a new decade, here's a list of women who have made a significant impact in the one gone by:
Angela Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has often been called the "de-facto leader of the free world" because of her continual elevated political status and influence over leaders across the world.
Merkel, who has consistently topped Forbes' Most Powerful Women list for nine years, has been the chancellor of Germany since 2005, overseeing the largest economy of Europe. The German leader, however, made a shock announcement in October this year, revealing that she would be stepping down from her position in 2021 after serving the country for nearly 15 years.
Greta Thunberg
Sixteen-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg has become the face of a worldwide climate change protest movement - becoming the youngest person to become Time's Person of the Year in the list’s history. The year 2019 has been momentous for the teenager. From being lauded for calling out world leaders at a United Nations forum for their inaction towards climate change to being chosen as Time's Person of the Year 2019, the teen was seen consistently at the center of the spotlight.
Thunberg, who rose to popularity through her weekly Friday protest outside the Swedish parliament a year ago, has inspired millions of people across the world to take to the streets in an effort to demand emergency action on climate change from their governments.
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, the first African-American first lady of the United States, inspired millions across the world when President Obama took office in 2008, and she continues to do so even now. Michelle Obama, a lawyer and a writer, became a role model for women and championed international adolescent girls' education through multiple campaigns.
Nearly three years after vacating the White House, and a year after publishing her memoir, 'Becoming,' her legacy as the first black lady continues to live. Obama, in her bestselling memoir, laid bare her struggles with infertility, which fortunately for her resulted in a positive outcome. According to healthcare professionals, the former first lady's revelation resulted in more black women seeking treatment for infertility.
Christine Legarde
The first woman to head the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, has consistently been ranked among the most powerful women in the world. She was put in charge of European monetary policy on November 1, 2019, during a time of slowing economic growth in the region. Legarde was also the first woman to chair the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and continued to hold the position from 2011 to mid-2019, ensuring the stability of the global monetary system.
Legarde, a formidable figure in the field of global economy, had called for a gender reform on the 10-year anniversary of the 2008 bank collapse while pointing out "groupthink" in the male-dominated industry.
Hillary Clinton
The former US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, ignited a feminist movement in 2015 when she announced her candidacy for the 2016 presidential election. Clinton broke the glass ceiling for women in America by being the only female nominee from either political parties to contest for the presidency.
Although she lost the White House race to Donald Trump, she launched an awakening movement among women in the country and across the world. Hillary Rodham Clinton was also touted as the "People's President" after she secured 2.1% more of the popular vote than the elected President Donald Trump.
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle, in 2018, broke barriers by becoming the first biracial member of the British royal family after marrying Prince Harry. The Duchess of Sussex ever since has continued to make her mark on the world, not only be redefining a royal family member's image in the world by exhibiting unchecked emotions but also by becoming a spokesperson for championing women's rights, equality, and multiculturalism.
The mother-of-one has also made great strides for fashion by including small label designers in the UK to the ones from her previous home of Canada. The duchess has also highlighted brands that are committed to a sustainable and positive transformation.
Jacinda Ardern
New Zealand's youngest prime minister, 38-year-old Jacinda Ardern, made waves across the world with her appointment to the office in 2017. She continued to be in news and inspired women as she gave birth in office, even taking her baby to the United Nations general assembly meeting and breastfeeding her. Ardern, however, showed her mettle after the New Zealand mass shootings, which claimed 51 lives and wounded many others.
The New Zealand prime minister made headlines worldwide for her prompt response to the tragedy as she used the language of inclusion by calling the Muslim victims as a part of her community at a time when the world generally shuns the religion as separate and somehow different.
"They are us," Ardern said in her speech addressing the victims and their families. "Because we represent diversity, kindness, compassion, home for those who share our values. Refuge for those who need it." She also took concrete steps to strengthen gun laws in a country, drawing a stark contrast to the United States.
Melinda Gates
The wife of the world's second-richest person in the world, Melinda Gates is considered the most powerful woman in philanthropy. Gates co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with her husband Bill Gates. Her charity, founded in 2000 is the world's largest private charitable foundation with a $40 billion trust endowment.
She has played a crucial role in shaping the strategizing measures to solve global issues, including poverty, education, sanitation, and contraception. Gates has devoted a significant amount of her work to women's and girls' rights across the world.
Sheryl Sandberg
The chief operating officer of the tech giant Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, over this past decade, has played a crucial role in turning the social media company into profit-making machinery. Sandberg, who became the company's COO in 2008, led Facebook from a $56 million loss to $22.1 billion in profits in 2018. Her focus on angling Facebook as a platform for small business advertising led to a 38 percent increase in ad revenue during 2018.
With nearly 2.45 billion monthly Facebook users, Sandberg has played a key part in increasing the social media giant's unprecedented power and influence. We witnessed how Facebook turned the United States 2016 presidential elections on its heels as millions of voters consumed their news through the social media site, with some information on the platform later identified as fake news.
Beyonce
Beyonce is considered as one of the most powerful pop stars in the global music arena. The star, who has a near cult-like following, has been associated with popularizing the feminist movement in the entertainment industry. Her brand of feminism has also inspired young women worldwide to embrace themselves and reclaim the world.
Famously called as 'Queen B' by her millions of fans, the pop star has never shied away from making political and social statements through her music, particularly for black feminism. Her 2016 album 'Lemonade', which incorporated race, feminism, identity, and police brutality in its songs, received acclaim from influential critics.