According to Beyoncé, girls run the world. In her hit single “Run the World,” Queen Bey sings about female empowerment, urging men to respect women in the workforce and in their desire to acquire a higher education. Yonce sings, “I’m reppin’ for the girls who taking over the world/Help me raise a glass for the college grads.” Soon enough, Bucknellians, we will be the college grads that she is singing about, and we will need to prove ourselves in the workforce, among other areas. If you haven’t already faced some prejudice for being a women, consider yourself lucky. But, many of us women already know what it feels like to be put down simply because of our gender.
In light of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign launch, I felt inspired to research other strong and influential females in order to award them the recognition they deserve for bettering our communities on a national and global level.
1. Christine Largarde, Managing Director of IMF, France, age 59
Lagarde is a French lawyer and politician who has been the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since July 5, 2011. The IMF is an international organization based in Washington, D.C. that consists of 188 countries working together to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world. Lagarde is the first woman to head the IMF.
2. Dilma Rousseff, President, Brazil, age 67
Rousseff is the 36th and current President of Brazil; she is the first woman to hold the office. This is kind of a big deal since Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country, both in size and population. It also has the world’s seventh-largest national economy with a GDP of nearly $2.2 trillion.
3. Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook, United States, age 45
Sandberg is an American technology executive, activist, and author. She is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, the largest social media network with a market value of $200B, not too shabby. In 2012, she became the first woman to serve on Facebook’s Board of Directors.
4. Geun-hye Park, President, South Korea, age 63
Park is the eleventh and current President of South Korea; she is the first woman to be elected for that position. She is also the first female head of state in the modern history of Northeastern Asia. In her inauguration speech, Park expressed hope that North Korea would give up its nuclear arms and embark on a journey of peace and mutual development with their counterparts in the South, leading to an era of unification and trust of the Korean people through mutual prosperity and freedom.
5. Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme, New Zealand, age 65
Clark is the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, the third highest UN position, and was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand. As Prime Minister, she served three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nation’s global development network that advocates for change and connects counties to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. It provides expert advice, training, and grant support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries.
Certainly, the five aforementioned women are only a small representation of the many successful, inspiring, and influential females that lead our society today. Everyday, the list of impactful women is growing so don’t be surprised if you read about a fellow Bucknellian doing big things in Forbes’ 2050 list of women leaders!