Time's Most Influential Boomer Women

Time Magazine recently released its annual list of the world's most influential people, and several amazing Boomer women made the cut. They are women you may not have even heard of, but they are influencing all our lives. The list includes political figures, an acclaimed novelist and a U.S. Air Force commander, Major General Margaret Woodward, seen at left. Read on to find out which Boomer women are shaking up our world this year.

Jennifer Egan

Age: 48

Occupation: Novelist, journalist

Why she's influential: For the past 15 years, Egan has intrigued readers with her knack for writing experimental novels with her trademark clarity and sharp-wit. Her journalistic endeavors are also just as versatile as they are lucid—Egan has written about topics ranging from gay teenagers to homeless families to mental illness. And she just keeps aging like fine wine: Egan’s latest effort, “A Visit from the Goon Squad,”—a Proustian examination of the music industry—just won this year’s Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.

Most Marked Characteristic: Ambition, innovation and chiseled cheekbones (they’re natural and are said to be even more stunning in person).

Major General Margaret “Maggie” Woodward

Age: 51

Occupation: Air Force Commander

Why she's influential: She’s the first woman to oversee a U.S. combat campaign—she ran the first 11 days of air war against Libya. And she accomplished this after being repeatedly told throughout her career that “women couldn’t fly for the U.S. military.”

Most Marked Characteristic: Bravado (not many men can claim to have spent almost 4,000 hours flying aerial tankers).

Hung Huang

Age: 49

Occupation: Fashion Mogul, Media Figure

Why she’s influential: As her international reputation indicates, Hung is quite the force to be reckoned with. She’s been hailed as “China’s answer to Oprah Winfrey and Anna Wintour,” and has been even labeled by Diane Von Furstenberg as the most “formidable woman” in the world. In any case, Hung certainly wields as much power and influence in China as her American counterparts—she has 2.5 million followers on Twitter, is the director of the first design museum in China and runs her own fashion magazine called iLook. Perhaps starting her own network is in her near future?

Most Marked Characteristic: Patriotism, joie de vivre and historic role (her mother taught Mao Zedong English).

Susan Savage-Rumbaugh

Age: 64

Occupation: Scientist, primatologist

Why she’s influential: She’s the Jane Goodall of bonobos. For the last 35 years, Savage-Rumbaugh has dedicated her life to studying “Great Ape Language.” She has discovered our primate kin are highly intelligent and linguistic—bonobos can write, start fires and even play Pac-Man. Despite the resistance from scientists in the linguistics and psychology world—who claim great apes are incapable of understanding language—Savage-Rumbaugh’s research has shown animals and humans are far more similar than we'd been led to believe.

Most Marked Characteristic: Dedication and patience (few people could endure bonobos as lifelong coworkers).

Dilma Rousseff

Age: 63

Occupation: President of Brazil

Why she’s influential: She’s the first female president of Brazil. If that feat isn’t enough to include her on every influential list from here on out, here is another compelling reason: Rousseff is a heavyweight champion among fighters. In the 70s, Rousseff was a former guerilla who battled against Brazil’s then military dictatorship; she later beat lymphatic cancer during her presidential campaign; and after her election, she fought to fill her cabinet with women—eventually appointing 24% of her cabinet with females.

Most Marked Characteristic: Wisdom, courage and tenacity (they don’t call her the “Iron Lady,” for nothing).

Lisa P. Jackson

Age: 49

Occupation: Chief of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Why she’s influential: To put it mildly, she’s the real-life Captain Planet. Jackson is the reason why we have clean air and clean water—not an easy feat with the Tea Party breathing down her neck. And if protecting public health and the environment wasn’t enough, Jackson continues to grapple new issues, such as developing sustainable energy to create new jobs and protecting vulnerable groups—including children, the elderly and low-income communities—from health threats.

Most Marked Characteristic: Perseverance to the beat of her own drum—she is a New Orleans’ native, after all—and impeccably groomed eyebrows.