JK’s write stuff as role model
SHE went from surviving on benefits in a tiny Edinburgh flat to a multi-millionaire fortune and a string of bestsellers in less than five years.
It’s hard not to be inspired by Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s modern day ‘rags to riches’ story.
Now, she has topped a poll as the most inspirational female for women in the UK.
Research has found the 0-year-old is more of a role model to British women than figures such as the Queen and Margaret Thatcher.
In the study, 4, 00 women around the world were interviewed, including 00 in the UK. From a line-up of 1 figures – ranging from Mother Teresa to Katie Price – other celebrities picked out by British women included Kate Middleton and Angelina Jolie.
Miss Rowling topped the rankings across the generations – with 24 per cent singling her out as inspirational, jointly with actress Helen Mirren. Study leader Rachel Pashley said Miss Mirren was a ‘really interesting choice’. She added: ‘She is very assertive as a woman.
‘She uses her female power and femininity as a strength. She’s also been very outspoken about female representation. I think that touches a chord with women.’
The most popular role model for women in the United States was First Lady Michelle Obama, singled out by 22 per cent.
The poll – carried out by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and advertising agency J. Walter Thompson Company – also showed that, globally, 74 per cent of women wished they had seen more female role models while growing up.
A total of 90 per cent surveyed felt female role models on film or TV were important – with one in ten saying they had helped them escape an abusive relationship.