As just a few examples of recent news illustrate, there is compelling evidence that women are making huge strides toward equality today: Finland electing Sanna Marin as prime minister, the world’s youngest ever; the San Francisco 49ers’ Katie Sowers as the first woman to coach at the Super Bowl; astronaut Christina Koch’s record-breaking 328 days in space. But there have also been disappointments. Take, for example, the Academy Awards listing only male nominees for the best director category for the third year running, despite the fact that 2019 alone saw the highest number of female-directed films in the last decade. Or Forbes naming only one woman on its list of America’s 100 Most Innovative Leaders.

Our Power 100 list included 24 women in 2019, a couple of whom you’ll also find below. Groundbreakers 2020 isn’t only about financial power, though; it’s about the ability to effect change in ways that shift the conversation around gender equality. Below, you’ll find more than 50 of the most influential women of our time. They’ve broken through barriers to change their industries—and push us all forward.

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