The World's Richest Women And Their Wealth

So often, women become invisible in various sectors due to these sectors traditionally – and most often currently - being dominated by men. Though, these sectors have traditionally been the domain of men this is increasingly changing - due to recognition of equality. There are, then, no longer good reasons to exclude women from any positions of power or placement, by virtue of their sex. Women are doctors, scientists, engineers, etc., and are equally capable as men in these capacities. To really see this in action, you need only see how many women are some of the richest people in the world.

Liliane Bettencourt

With an estimated wealth of $30 Billion, Ms Bettencourt is regarded as the wealthiest women in 2014. The source of her wealth makes it obvious why: She is the principle shareholder in the world’s largest cosmetic company, L’Oreal. The company was founded by her father and she remains the sole heir. She is also is the richest person in France, as of March 2013.

Christy Walton

Ms Walton is the richest woman in America and second richest person in the world, with a net work approximately of $28.2. Like Bettencourt, Walton inherited her wealth – but via marriage, rather than blood. She is the widow of the John Walton, who is the son of Wal-Mart’s founder, Sam Walton. Wal-Mart, as About.com reports, “is both the largest retail chain in the U.S. and the largest retail organization in the world.” Her wealth then is self-explanatory.

Miuccia Prada

Perhaps the most interesting, Ms Prada’s surname clearly gives away the source of her enormous wealth – at an estimated $12.4 B. Miuccia took the lead, after her mother, for the fashion company Prada. She holds a doctorate in Pedagogical Sciences from the prestigious Univeristy of Milan. Pedagogical science is the study of education, in its various formats – Ms Prada has no doubt used her intellectual gifts and skills when she made the company grow.

Abigail Johnson

With an estimated worth of $12.7 B, Ms Johnson is the President of Fidelity Investments. The company specialises in all sorts of financial services, from stock trading, various kind of debit collections, and so on. Ms Johnson is also regarded as “the most powerful woman in the global fund management business”.

Anne Cox Chambers

The 93-year old is regarded as the oldest of the richest women in the world. With an estimated worth of $12 B. James Cox was a US Presidential candidate in 1920 and was the founder of Cox Enterprises, the organisations she now leads. The company is a leader in “communications, media and automotive services”.

These fascinating and justifiably rich women help show that men alone are not the only people rich on this planet. Yes, many of these inherited their wealth, but so did many men. But inheriting wealth is not the same as keeping or maintaining it: that they’ve been able to do so, and in some cases grow the business, is testament that they’re not just acting from glorified hand-outs but hard work.

This article was written by James Matthews who is an avid reader and tech geek. He's also a fan of the great outdoors and when he's not writing up a storm that's where you'll find him ;)