With turbulent markets and even more tumultuous times, just over half of the 234 women on the new Forbes list of the World’s Billionaires are worth less than a year ago.
Top 10 Richest Female In The World And What They Do
As the year is coming to a close, Forbes has released its annual ranking of the World’s Billionaires, with 232 men and 234 women making up the list. In a good year, the average age of a billionaire on the list drops from 64 to 55. But over the last 12 months, global stock markets have gone up and down, with each billionaire losing a little money—in some cases, a lot. Among them are women like Kylie Jenner, the newly minted 18-year-old “self-made” billionaire whose combined net worth is a mere $900 million. They include tycoons like the 269-year-old Marie-Helene Wilson of France, whose family’s empire made her a billionaire by age 50, and 53-year-old Zhang Xin, who has a net worth of $17 billion but reportedly spends only $400 per month on herself and her family.
Richest Female In The World
Since our previous count, Wendi Murdoch has become a billionaire thanks to her 31% stake in News Corp. She is currently the wealthiest woman in the world, but less than one-quarter of this wealth is from her 21% stake in that media conglomerate. In the fashion industry, Donna Karan has ridden a wave of popularity since the late 80s, and even now enjoys a strong global brand presence. She owns 70% of her namesake company and has a net worth of $450 million. Carlyle Group’s Julianna Gibbs, the new president of what is now the world’s most valuable company, is the first woman on the list. Like Murdoch, her worth is largely in her 25% stake in the firm.
Money And What It Can't Buy
As with the list of the world’s richest men, all wealth is relative. Forbes’ most recent list is also dominated by tech billionaires who together have a net worth of $1.7 trillion. But while the world’s wealthiest man is Jeff Bezos with a fortune of $112 billion, the combined fortunes of the world’s 10 richest women amount to just $2.8 billion. Forbes’ analysis of the world’s richest women largely repeats their calculations from 2016, with the exception of some new entrants. The real power of the wealthiest women is a little different to that of the men, because while they may control a fraction of the assets the world’s richest men do, the relative influence of these women still has a material impact.
Self-made Billionaires
Other factors influencing the number of women billionaires is the persistence of family businesses and widespread use of blind trusts in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. There are a staggering number of self-made women on this list who owe their fortunes to financial savvy or luck. These are the ten richest women in the world: Alexandra Andresen (28) Danish fashion designer and founder of the Andresen Copenhagen fashion house, Alexandra Andresen started designing womenswear after returning home from university to raise her two daughters. By 2015, Alexandra’s label had landed on the Forbes list of the world’s most expensive fashion houses. Forbes World’s Richest Women, 2018 Theresa A.
Conclusion
While the current economic climate in America can be challenging for all women, there are a few who are making a significant difference on both a local and international level. If you are looking to support and empower women in the coming months, making a donation to any of the organizations mentioned above are a good place to start.
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