Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing for Thursday, December 11th.

Today on Forbes, how the leaders on the Forbes Power Women list prevailed in the face of a rough 2025.

There was a moment towards the beginning of Beyonce Noles Carter's $400 million grossing Cowboy Carter tour this summer, when the Grammy-winning artist

wrapped up her rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner with lyrics from Paul McCartney's

civil rights anthem, Blackbird, singing, quote, You are only waiting for this moment to be free.

To transition to Freedom, her certified platinum collaboration with Kendrick Lamar.

As she sang, the mega screen behind Nolz Carter flashed the words, quote,

Never Ask Permission for something that already belongs to you.

It was a statement about ownership in country music, civil rights, and women reclaiming power, as another graphics

showed in that set, all in just a few minutes. But coming from someone who has appeared on the

Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women 15 times since its inception, it serves as a

message for those feeling disempowered in light of the setbacks women faced

throughout 2025.

This last year was, by many metrics, a tough one for women.

In the United States, nearly half a million women left the labor force between January and

October, one of the largest drops in American history.

Just 54% of companies, according to McKinsey and Lean In, are currently placing a high

priority on helping female employees advance to higher positions, down from 90% who called

this a priority just four years ago.

Meanwhile, UN women is sounding the alarm on the rise of online

misogyny, reporting in June that the worsening toxicity of the so-called manosphere is

seeping into broader culture and has severe implications for how women are treated. A warning that

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