NEW YORK (The News Desk) — Champions of gender equality were pleasantly surprised today when Forbes magazine announced that 19 women had made its annual list of the 50 most powerful women in the world — more than in any other year.

This year’s list, which ranks the 50 most powerful female leaders in business, politics, entertainment and more, included influential leaders like German chancellor Angela Merkel, American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and South Korean president Park Geun-hye, as well as 16 other women.

Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who ranked #7 on this year’s list, claimed that he was excited to see more women assuming leadership positions, particularly in business and technology.

“I am honoured to be named among so many impressive, talented women,” said Gates.

“It is so thrilling to see so many women included in this prestigious ranking,” said IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, also named on the list.

“This is a testament to how far we’ve come, but also a reminder of how far we still have to go.”

Prominent advocates for leadership equality like Sheryl Sandberg welcomed the rankings, but claimed that it didn’t go nearly far enough.

“Our work here is not done. This list should be at least half women,” she told press.

Forbes editor Steve Forbes explained that one of the main goals of the 50 Most Powerful Women list was to highlight the achievements of female leaders.

“We are always striving to highlight and tell the stories of impressive women leaders, and we think this list is the perfect avenue for that.” ♦

Image via Forbes

If you liked this, like our Facebook page!