These Are The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. Plus: How To Let Go Of Your Need For Approval

This is this week’s ForbesWomen newsletter, which every Thursday brings news about the world’s top female entrepreneurs, leaders and investors straight to your inbox. Click here to get on the newsletter list!

Is women’s power in the world advancing or retreating? It’s a critical question, and one that the 21st annual Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women addresses head-on. As Moira Forbes notes here, “Look at the highest reaches of power—they remain stubbornly male-dominated. Three of the world’s four largest economies have never been helmed by a woman… Silicon Valley’s five largest companies have yet to appoint a woman CEO.”

The good news, however, is that the 100 women on this year’s Power Women List (which we released just yesterday and you can view in full here!) are defying many of the headwinds challenging female progress. Just a few examples: In May, Malina Ngai took over as Group CEO of AS Watson—the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer. Melinda French Gates has pledged $1 billion over the next two years to advance women’s power globally. India finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is overseeing an economy that she says could soon become the world’s third-largest.

For what might be the most heartening sign of progress, look to our neighbor to the south: In June, Claudia Sheinbaum won the Mexican presidency in a landslide victory that came just 71 years after Mexican women received the right to vote. “Many of us were told a version of history since we were children, which wanted us to believe that the course of humanity was led only by men. But little by little this vision has been reversed,” she said in her October inauguration speech. “It is time for women.”

Cheers to that!

Maggie

Exclusive Forbes Analysis: Why Caitlin Clark Was One Of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women In 2024

The Indiana Fever rookie lit the match that set women’s sports on fire this year—including a $2 billion media rights deal for the WNBA, gender parity in the Olympics, and record-breaking viewership for professional women’s soccer. Women have been playing at a high level for decades, but 2024 became a standout because, as South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told Forbes, “Sometimes you need a unifier. Caitlin Clark has done a tremendous job at being that person people want to see. She’s brought a different set of eyeballs to our game.”

ICYMI: News Of The Week

Just because a woman is not in the top 100 of the Forbes Power List does not mean she lacks influence; there are many people whose power is on the rise. And to that end, some of 2025’s women to watch are Selena Gomez, New Zealand MP Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, Namibia president-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, among others.

Speaking of a banner year for women in sports: Women in video-game sports are gaining ground, too: EA Sports’ NHL 25 has become the latest esports league to announce the addition of Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) players. This development follows in the footsteps of NBA 2K and EA Sports FC (FIFA).

A new study reveals fascinating gender differences in how men and women showcase their skills on LinkedIn, a platform widely used by recruiters to identify job candidates. Men are more likely to emphasize leadership and negotiation, while women focus on support-oriented skills. Even women who are already leaders are less likely than their male counterparts to tout their leadership skills.

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Il.) spoke to ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath this week about the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense, slamming the comments he made about opposing women serving in combat roles. “Our military could not do its job without the 225,000 women who are currently serving in uniform,” Duckworth said. Watch the full interview here.

The Checklist

1. Experiment with your communications style. Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Charli XCX had a major media presence this year, and there are several lessons you can take from their communication strategies. Here’s what you need to know.

2. Let go of the need for approval at work. When your self-esteem and decision-making hinge excessively on others’ opinions, or when you compromise your values to avoid disapproval, it’s time for a change. Here’s how to find the right balance between trusting yourself and considering others.

3. Master the art of the one-woman show. Doing things alone can be scary or intimidating to many, but a solo date to Broadway or a nearby theatre can be comforting and even empowering (your trusty newsletter writer speaks from experience). Here’s how to make the most of the “me” time.

The Quiz

One of the most promising women to watch in 2025 is Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, who has led the rapidly growing social media competitor to X since 2021. Which of the following statements is true about Bluesky?

1. It first came about in 2019 as a research project to “decentralize” Twitter
2. Unlike X, its policies forbid promoting “hate or extremist conduct”
3. Users can create servers to control their own data, rather than company-owned servers
4. All of the above

Check your answer.