POWERFUL WOMEN

Most Powerful Women in the World 2010

The following table lists the most powerful women in the world, according to Forbes. The women range from first ladies to divas, CEOs to a reality TV star.

Rank Name Title Category 1. Michelle Obama First Lady politics 2. Irene Rosenfeld Chief Executive, Krafts Food business 3. Oprah Winfrey media personality media 4. Angela Merkel German Chancellor politics 5. Hillary Clinton U.S. Secretary of State politics 6. Indra Nooyi Chief Executive, PepsiCo business 7. Lady Gaga Singer and performance artist lifestyle 8. Gail Kelly Chief Executive, Westpac, Australia business 9. Beyonce Knowles Singer and fashion designer lifestyle 10. Ellen DeGeneres Talk show host media 11. Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House politics 12. Angela Braly Chief Executive, Wellpoint business 13. Janet Napolitano Secretary, Homeland Security politics 14. Cynthia Carroll Chief Executive, Anglo American business 15. Sheila Bair Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation politics 16. Sarah Palin Political maverick and commentator media 17. Mary Schapiro Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission politics 18. Ellen Kullman Chief Executive, DuPont business 19. Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court Justice politics 20. Ursula Burns Chief Executive, Xerox business

History-2

Before 1970, women's history was rarely the subject of serious study. As historian Mary Beth Norton recalls, "only one or two scholars would have identified themselves as women's historians, and no formal doctoral training in the subject was available anywhere in the country." Since then, however, the field has undergone a metamorphosis. Today almost every college offers women's history courses and most major graduate programs offer doctoral degrees in the field.

The Women's Movement

Two significant factors contributed to the emergence of women's history. The women's movement of the sixties caused women to question their invisibility in traditional American history texts. The movement also raised the aspirations as well as the opportunities of women, and produced a growing number of female historians. Carroll Smith-Rosenberg, one of the early women's historians, has remarked that "without question, our first inspiration was political. Aroused by feminist charges of economic and political discrimination . . . we turned to our history to trace the origins of women's second-class status."

New Social History

Women's history was also part of a larger movement that transformed the study of history in the United States. "History" had traditionally meant political history—a chronicle of the key political events and of the leaders, primarily men, who influenced them. But by the 1970s "the new social history" began replacing the older style. Emphasis shifted to a broader spectrum of American life, including such topics as the history of urban life, public health, ethnicity, the media, and poverty.

The Personal Is Political

Since women rarely held leadership positions and until recently had only a marginal influence on politics, the new history, with its emphasis on the sociological and the ordinary, was an ideal vehicle for presenting women's history. It has covered such subjects as the history of women's education, birth control, housework, marriage, sexuality, and child rearing. As the field has grown, women's historians realized that their definition of history needed to expand as well—it focused primarily on white middle-class experience and neglected the full racial and socio-economic spectrum of women.

Women's History Month

The public celebration of women's history in this country began in 1978 as "Women's History Week" in Sonoma County, California. The week including March 8, International Women's Day, was selected. In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women's History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women's History Month.

Mutual activities.

Young Women activities should strengthen testimonies, foster personal growth, and provide a wholesome environment where youth can make friends with others who share similar beliefs and standards.

Mutual is a regularly scheduled activity for young women and young men. Mutual is a time when youth can be together in safe places to practice living the gospel of Jesus Christ, feel the Spirit, and prepare for future responsibilities in happy and appropriate ways.

• Mutual is usually an hour to an hour and a half in length. This normally includes brief opening exercises followed by an activity.
• Mutual is held on a day or evening other than Sunday or Monday. It should be held regularly at the same place and the same time. The frequency of Mutual can be determined by the safety, distance, and cost of travel.

Some regularly-held Young Women and youth events include New Beginnings,  Young Women in Excellence, standards events, and youth conference.

Examples of other youth activities include:

• Service.
• Musical productions.
• Dance festivals.
• Sports and fitness events.
• Drama and speech.
• Cultural arts.
• Treks.
• Camp.
• Historical commemorations.

These events are an important part of a youth program because they provide a place where youth can share with others their testimony of the gospel and how to live it.

All activities should create a feeling of unity and a sense of belonging and strengthen and support the family. Activities should be varied and well balanced. They should appeal to the interests and needs of the young women and young men.

Most important, activities should provide opportunities for the youth to feel the Spirit.

Be an Example in Faith and Purity

Be an Example in Faith and Purity

In the recent general conference, Sister Mary N. Cook invited leaders to set a clear example for young women to follow. "If we have one hand on the rod and one hand in the world, we put our children and youth in danger of losing their way on the path. If our example is confusing, then in Jacob’s words, we lose “the confidence of [our] children, because of [our] bad examples" (Jacob 2:35). Parents, grandparents and leaders, your message must be clear. Clarity can only result from having both hands on the rod and from living by the truths found in the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets. You may not be raising a prophet as Lucy was, but you are certainly raising tomorrow’s leaders, and your actions are just as tangibly linked to their faith."

Leaders are invited to view this clip from Sister Cook and to study the full text of her talk.

In this month's Young Women Church News article Sister Dalton invites leaders to "ask the youth they lead to do hard things." As you do this, youth will "grow and rise. They will become confident." She relates the experience of one ward where the young women were strengthened as they set out to accomplish the "seemingly impossible." "These young women were not only told that they were great, but they were given the opportunity to BE great, to ACT great, and to DO great things."

Leaders can find additional messages from the Young Women General Presidency in the Church News. A new article is published the third week of each month.

Minister

Personal Progress is a tool to minister to Young Women.
Personal Progress provides opportunities for parents and leaders to build relationships with young women. Through these relationships, young women will find support, role models of faithful gospel living, and help in finding answers to their questions and applying gospel principles in their lives.

• Mothers and daughters can work together on Personal Progress. Both can earn the Young Womanhood Recognition and young women can learn from their mothers as they prepare for their future roles.
• Young Women leaders can learn about the gifts and interests of young women as they work together on Personal Progress. They can then use this knowledege to plan more meaningful Sunday lessons and Mutual activities.
• Laurels who complete Personal Progress can work with other young women and encourage them in their progress while continuing to progress themselves.
• Other sisters who wish to participate in Personal Progress can work with a young woman on specific experiences or projects and both can earn the Young Womanhood Recognition.
• Priesthood leaders can refer to Personal Progress as they interview young women, acknowledge their accomplishments, and discuss their future goals.

Strengthen

Personal Progress is a tool to strengthen young women.

The value experiences and values projects in the Young Women Personal Progress program were written to help each young woman understand and apply the following important principles:

• She is a daughter of Heavenly Father.
• She can increase her faith in and testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
• She can remain worthy by obeying the commandments and living the standards of the church.
• She can recognize and act upon the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
• She can prepare now for her future roles as wife, mother, homemaker, and leader.
• She can keep her baptismal covenants and be worthy to make and keep sacred temple covenants.

sunday instruction

We begin on Sunday by gathering for opening exercises to create a spiritual atmosphere for the lesson that follows.


Sunday Lessons
“Young women . . . must have their testimonies built during [their] teenage years. And one powerful way to assist them is to bear your own testimony to them—humbly, honestly, and often” (Jeffrey R. Holland, in “Bishops and the Aaronic Priesthood,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, June 19, 2004, 19). 

How Do I Prepare?

• Read the lesson early so the Spirit can teach you through the week.
• Pray about what the young women need to know about the principle.
• Decide what to teach from the lesson or from the resources in the Ensign, New Era, or other approved resources. Include personal experiences and your testimony.
• Decide how to teach by involving the young women.

The ward Young Women presidency ensures that the scriptures and the Church-approved curriculum materials for the current year are used in class instruction. In some areas these materials are identified on the annual curriculum order form. In other areas they are provided with the annual curriculum shipment. They should be handled with care so they can be used for several years. Church magazines may also be used.