Women are now taking more charge of their life and career, actively climbing the corporate ladder like never before. Not content to just sit at home and look after the kids anymore (unless that's what they choose to do), women are gaining positions of power in large multinational corporations, foundations, and important government positions.

According to the Forbes magazine's review of the most powerful women in the world, the chancellor of Germany is at the head of the list. Angela Merkel took power from Gerhard Schroder last year to become the first ever female German chancellor. The 52 year old scientist, turned politician is the leader of Europe's largest economy. And, although her economic restructuring plan for the country is not loved by everyone, her changes are stimulating economic growth. After five years of economic stagnation, her changes have seen a two percent growth in the past year.

The American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice lost her number one position, but only slipped to second place. The world of politics was the reason for thirty women being on the list in 2006.

While there is still yet to be a female American President, other countries around the world are giving women their number one job. Germany (Angela Merkel), Chile (Michelle Bachelet), New Zealand (Helen Clark), Philippines (Gloria Arroyo), Finland (Tarja Halonen), Ireland (Mary McAleese), and Latvia's Vaira Vike-Freiberga are among the numerous countries with a woman leading them.

Seven of the top ten most powerful women in the world were from the United States this year, with France, China, and Germany each having one entrant in the top ten. There was a total of 53 American women on the list of one hundred powerful women.

Forbes ranks the most powerful women in the world by using a number of indicators to measure the power and influence of each woman on the list. Things like the number of times the woman was mentioned in the press and the economic impact that they have are taken into account.

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