The 19th annual Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women in the world places Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at number 42.
In the Forbes list from the previous year, she was placed number 43.
Additionally, the prime minister was placed 11th out of 22 in the special category of politics and policy.
The 19th annual Forbes list of the world’s 100 most powerful women places European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the top due to her leadership throughout the Ukraine War and her management of the Covid Pandemic.
Representing the protesters on this year’s list is Jina ‘Mahsa’ Amini, whose death in September sparked the unprecedented women-led revolution.
The rest of the women are more traditional power players — 39 CEOs, 10 heads of state and 11 billionaires worth a combined $115 billion.
Von der Leyen’s influence is unique — no one else on the list formulates policy on behalf of 450 million people — but her commitment to a free and democratic society is not.
She is just one face of the biggest storyline of 2022, women acting as stalwarts for democracy.
Four key metrics—money, media, impact, and circles of influence—were used to compile the ranking.
‘For corporate leaders, we considered revenues, employee counts, media mentions, and overall reach. For political leaders, we considered gross domestic products and populations. According to Forbes, the outcome is a group of women who are challenging the status quo.
The longest-serving prime minister in Bangladesh’s history, Sheikh Hasina, is presently on her fourth term.
