J.K. Rowling on list for most 'powerful women'
Forbes put together a list that included 100 women leaders in business, social causes and politics, which dominated the top ten places. Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush, topped the list of the world's most powerful women compiled by Forbes, the magazine reported on its Web site. China's Vice Premier Wu Yi, and former Beijing mayor, ranked as the second most powerful woman. Sonia Gandhi, president of India's Congress Party, came in third and the presidents of Indonesia and the Philippines, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Gloria Arroyo, were eighth and ninth on the list.
The wives of U.S. presidents, Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton, now a U.S. Senator, also figured in the top rankings as did the two women on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Carleton ``Carly'' Fiorina was the only businesswoman who rounded out the top in 10th place.
Forbes said the list defied the ``conventional wisdom that a woman can gain power only by studiously working behind the scenes to forge consensus,'' the magazine said on its Web site.
Other corporate women included Abigail Johnson, president of Fidelity Management & Research, and Christine Poon, worldwide chair of medicines and nutritionals at Johnson & Johnson.
Women from entertainment and the media also showed up in rankings such as Time Inc.'s chief executive, Ann S. Moore, and ABC News correspondent Barbara Walters. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey and the best-selling author of the Harry Potter books, Joanne ``J.K.'' Rowling, made the list.
Powerful women were also found among the world's royalty including the queens of the U.K., the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Jordan.
The magazine said it assessed each candidate by her title and resume, the size of the economic sphere in which she wields power and the number of global media mentions, Agence France- Presse reported.