5 powerful women to inspire

Keeping up with the other sectors of society, what we are experiencing now is a period in which women are gaining ground and showing many professional achievements. The so evident gender disparities in the job market of a few years ago are finally being left behind.

The world economy growth has a massive female participation, which is gaining more and more space. An example is the increased proportion of female directing companies across the globe, which is 22% higher. Another example of this change is some data collected in 2013 by McKinsey & Company, which shows that companies that have at least one female executive in its higher positions have a profit margin 55% higher than those managed by men only.

Every year Forbes puts together a list of the 25 most powerful women in the world, which is based on media visibility and economic impact. So we elected the top 5 women of Forbes list of 2016 to share their stories and inspire you:

1) Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel is chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany since 2005. She was the first woman to command the country's government. Merkel began her political career in 1989 when she served as the first government spokesman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Current leader of the CDU Angela had a profile somewhat different than expected by conservative politicians, who were the majority in the party. Being divorced, protestant and with no children, many believed that she would not fit. However, she was invited to head the Ministry Women and Youth and later took over the Ministry of Environment and Nuclear Safety.

In 2000, she became the secretary-general of the party. Considering the democrats' history and conservative base, that accomplishment was a huge milestone, since until that day the party had only men on this chair. Nowadays Merkel is considered one of the most popular leaders of the European continent, once she won the trust of party members and the population of Germany.

2) Hillary Clinton

Between 1993 and 2001, Hillary Clinton was the first lady of the United States. In 2016, she planned to return to the White House, but this time as the first woman president in US history. She was running for the Democratic Party and has a background of acting for the rights of women and children.

Eight years ago when Barack Obama defeated Hillary in the primaries, she became his government's Secretary of State between 2009 and 2013. She has also served as senator for the state of New York between 2001 and 2009 and during her period practicing law she managed to become one of the most influential defense lawyers in the United States.

3) Janet Yellen

Janet Yellen is the current president of the Federal Reserve of the United States, being the first woman to hold the position.

Janet has a history of excellence in her economic forecasts and owns highest success rate among the members of FED regarding the inflation and unemployment numbers. During the Clinton administration, she was an advisor, besides having been director of the San Francisco FED. The economist has also been a professor at Berkeley University.

4) Melinda Gates

Known as Bill Gates wife , Melinda Gates is much more than just her wedding. Differently from the general idea, she met her husband while working in Microsoft, once she was recruited to work there soon after her graduation.

Melinda has a degree in Computer Science from Duke University and during the time she was worked at Microsoft she was responsible for managing important projects like Microsoft Bob, Microsoft Encarta and Expedia.

Currently, Melinda and Bill are engaged in philanthropic activities with the goal of eradicating world's poverty through education and health improvements. The couple manages together the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

5) Mary Barra

Mary Barra currently holds the position of CEO at General Motors (GM), being the first woman to hold the position in the company.

She started to work in GM when she was 18 in order to pay for her college, as she was studying at Kettering University. Mary also has a MBA degree from the Stanford School of Business.

At General Motors she was able to revitalize the process of product development, which has brought a very positive feedback, allowing the company to beat the quality record audience and consumer satisfaction.

As we have seen from these powerful examples, we are witnessing a constant increase of women leaderships. Women are conquering spaces that were once dominated only by men. Now they are present in various sectors of society, showing their great potential.