Not so long ago, I analyzed whether there are any common qualities or character traits that can lead a person to stunning success, to provide them with extraordinary material wealth in life. To understand this, I had to learn more about modern leaders: heads of the most profitable companies, financial magnates. And this is quite an interesting topic. But do you know what struck and surprised me the most? Among them, it turns out, there are very few women. Why is that? And who are those women who are not inferior to men in world-famous ratings? Are there common traits that unite these women? Let's explore together.
Are there successful women in the world?
So, the majority of participants in the ratings of influential and successful people in the world are men. That is a fact. The reasons for this are historical. Even in the century before last in the countries of Western Civilization, women were completely dependent on their families in many matters. Only from the end of the 19th century did the struggle for the social and labor rights of young women, for political independence, begin in the Western World.
Gender laws in first world countries, particularly in the USA, were adopted thanks to decades of movement for respect for women. These laws led to the emergence of separate rankings dedicated only to women-winners. The most influential magazines in the world, such as Time, Forbes, Fortune, have traditionally published separate lists of the best in business or simply influential women since the late 1990s and early 2000s. This is done to correct gender injustice. Among the most influential young ladies who have achieved success in business, politics, sports, culture, science or social activism, many are wives and mothers, often with several children. Family has long ceased to be an obstacle to a brilliant career.
However, most global success rankings are still dominated by men. According to a study by Investopedia, women occupy a small (usually up to 5-10% depending on the region) and very slowly growing percentage among the CEOs of the largest corporations on the planet. In particular, in the international Fortune 500 list, women head companies in the fields of technology, finance, healthcare, etc.
As Investopedia notes, “as of the end of 2023, women held 52 CEO positions at Fortune 500 companies, representing 10.4% of the total. This is a significant increase from the 41 female CEOs in 2021. The increase in the number of women in CEO positions is a positive trend, although women still represent a significantly smaller percentage compared to men.”
Inheritance or personal ambition?
The strongest influence on strengthening the role of women in society is the United States, which is both an example and a territory of influence in gender issues for the rest of the world. For example, in Israel, from 3.5% to 8% of CEOs of large corporations, depending on the year, are women. The two richest women in Israel have dual Israeli-American citizenship, business in the United States, and influence in philanthropy and American politics.
Miriam Adelson, the widow of businessman Sheldon Adelson and owner of Las Vegas Sands, controls some of the largest casinos in the United States, Macau and Singapore. She owns the Venetian in Las Vegas and the Marina Bay Sands, the architectural landmark of Singapore.
Miriam is a doctor and researcher who has been invited by the most influential educational institutions in the United States. She is a mother of many children. She inherited a fortune from her husband. Her capital is 32-38 billion dollars. “I try to live honestly and with insight. I know my own inner worth, so I am very confident in myself” Miriam says in an interview for the Israeli publication Hadassah Magazine. She emphasizes the vital importance of values and dignity for a person.
Israeli Shari Arison was born in New York City to the wealthy Arison family. At the age of 16, she came to Israel to serve in the Israeli army, the IDF. She inherited and runs the huge Israeli bank Hapoalim. Shari's fortune is estimated at $6 billion.
In one of her May Facebook posts, Shari wrote: “If you want to see change in the world, as Gandhi said: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world. Do your job, creating the change you want to see!’”
Another famous heiress who is the most powerful woman in the world is Abby Johnson, the granddaughter of the founder of Fidelity, an investment company that manages $10.3 trillion in assets. Abby is the owner and president of Fidelity. “No matter how high you get in the company and how successful you are, your work is never done. Every day you wake up and the world has changed: your customers expect more from you. And your competitors are pushing you, trying to get around you here and there, doing even more,” Abby told Forbes.
Selfmade lady
Among the outstanding and bright women of the world are not only celebrities, first ladies, royals, gifted and powerful heiresses of business empires, but also many women who rose to the top of society, creating themselves. For example, in the ranking of influential people of the world from Bloomberg - tennis player Serena Williams, lawyer and judge of the US Supreme Court, the first African-American woman in this position Ketanji Brown Jackson, and doctor Rebecca Gomperts, who fights against illegal abortions and for women's rights to contraception.
Let's look at the rating of the American publication Time 100 of the most influential people in the world. In recent years, women have occupied about half of the rating. However, over the past 20 years, only 5 women have been in the top places of the Time 100. These are businesswoman and philanthropist Melinda Gates (along with Bill Gates and Bono), politician Angela Merkel, activist Greta Thunberg, politician Camilla Harris (along with Joe Biden), and singer and producer Taylor Swift. Also in 2017, Time recognized all the women from the #MeToo movement who publicly admitted to having suffered harassment as persons of the year.
In her speech to Stanford University graduates, Melinda Gates mentioned such important qualities for a person's life journey as optimism and empathy, openness to one's own and other people's suffering, which breaks the heart, but becomes a driver of change.
Stanford graduate Mary Barra has been at the helm of the legendary American company General Motors for more than 10 years. She became the first woman to head this automobile corporation after many years of working at the company.
“What I always say is: Do every job as if you’re going to do it your whole life, and demonstrate that sense of ownership” says Mary Barra.
Years of consistent work are in the biographies of many young ladies “self-made”. Arundhati Bhattacharya from a simple family from Indian Calcutta, the wife of a professor. She became the first woman who, after several decades of hard work at the State Bank of India, headed this institution. Forbes and Fortune included her in international lists of the most influential women. Now Arundhati is the head of the Asian office of the leading corporation Salesforce, a developer of CRM systems and cloud technologies. “Technology and creativity are no longer separate entities—they are merging to reimagine how industries communicate, connect, and create impact. Whether it’s reimagining the customer experience or transforming traditional narratives, today’s most powerful ideas emerge at the intersection of technology and imagination… Emotion, authenticity, and innovation can not only coexist — they can thrive in the narratives of the corporate world” she wrote on LinkedIn in early June, discussing the latest technologies.
Every great woman provides moral support to others by publicly speaking out about the normality of common human states, such as doubt. A prominent banker, the first female head of Baker & McKenzie, former managing director of the IMF and head of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde has been repeatedly recognized as one of the most successful women in the world. “Every day you have to prove yourself and convince others to move forward, challenge yourself and doubt yourself all the time” Christine Lagarde says in an interview with Forbes.
Successful women exist. It's proven.
As we have seen, strong, successful and wealthy women who are no less than men do exist. And these are not single, married women with careers: many of them are also wives and mothers. So what is their strength? What unites them? What allowed them to go beyond the social expectations of “kitchen-child-family” and achieve remarkable success in the male world of business?
Traits that ensure success for women:
- confidence;
- self-worth;
- hard work;
- loyalty to one's values;
- dignity;
- empathy;
- optimism;
- a desire to move forward relentlessly;
- a desire to innovate;
- a desire to change the world for the better.
Are you curious to know if these same traits define the most successful men? Read "Qualities of leaders that generate profit"
