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World's Richest Women
By: Elizabeth Nelson

     There's always a lot of buzz about the richest men in the world, but did you ever wonder about the wealthiest women? There are some females with serious economic clout out there. Here are the current top 5: - #17

Liliane Bettencourt

Liliane Bettencourt was in her mid-40s when she inherited the fortune of L’Oreal, the makeup company that her father, Eugene Schuller, founded. Now 85 years old, this Frenchwoman still owns a controlling interest in the company. Most of her time, however, is devoted to humanitarian and medical work with the Bettencourt Schuller Foundation. At approximately $22.9 billion, Liliane is the richest woman in the world.

Christy Walton - #26

When John Walton tragically died in a 2005 plane crash, his wife, Christy, inherited a large portion of the family fortune. John’s father, Sam Walton, started Wall-Mart in 1962. Christy is now 53 years old and is worth $19.2 billion dollars. She lives in Jackson, Wyoming.

Alice Walton - #29

The Wall-Mart fortune created more than one billionaire female. Alice Walton, Christy’s 58 year old sister-in-law, also makes the list at $19 billion. Alice is divorced and lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Abigail Johnson - #43

Next on our list is Abigail Johnson, the 46-year-old owner of a controlling interest in Fidelity Investments. Abigail inherited her $15 billion from her father, who went from an analyst to president in 15 years. Abigail went to undergrad at Hobart and William Smith College and earned her MBA at Harvard. After her education, she worked at Fidelity as a diversified fund manager, president of the mutual fund division, and currently the head of employer services. She lives in Boston.

Jacqueline Mars - #46

The 5th lady on our list is Jacqueline Mars, the 68 year old inheritor of the Mars candy and pet food fortune. Mars, begun by her grandfather, Frank Mars, as a 1911 chocolate company, became famous after her father, Forrest, began making chocolate and nut candy bars. She inherited the $14 billion family fortune nearly a decade ago and currently lives in New Jersey. The Billionaire List and the Gender Gap

The gender gap is overwhelmingly evident on the list of the world’s billionaires. Only 9% of the billionaires (99 women on the list total) are female. It is also interesting that, despite the fact that they have been accomplished professionals, all of the women on this top 5 list have inherited their fortunes. This stands in stark contrast to the quintessential ‘self-made’ billionaires like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates who top the list of the world's richest men. In an age where a woman can be a CEO, a billionaire, or even a serious contender for the nomination to US presidency, gender inequality is still painfully clear on the lists of Forbes magazine.

To read up on wealth and the other half of the species, check out the companion article, World's Richest Men.