The Woman's Hour Power List: Are these really the most important women in Britain? Further down the hot 100 we have the likes of broadcaster Clare Balding, artist Tracey Emin, assistant commissioner of the Met Cressida Dick, comedienne Sarah Millican, chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies and popstrel-turned designer Victoria Beckham. And the point is? In truth, it's simply a surreal line-up reminiscent of a disturbing dream after a night on the cheese - or one of those balloon debates that were a staple of sixth-form English classes. Is there really anything to connect these women apart from two X chromosomes? Can Dawn French's undoubted "power" in the telly industry be measured against the "power" of the banker Ana Botín, chief executive of Santander UK? Lists, dare I say it, are a terribly male way of assessing the world. Chaps take success at face value, hence achievement is directly proportional to salary and status, so a top 10 or a top 100 (preferably alphabeticised) chimes with their need for calibration and order. Personally, I am far more interested in the backstory of these undoubtedly admirable women, at least a dozen (OK, two dozen) of whom I'd never heard of, who have forged high-flying career paths in business and the judiciary and politics. Presumably they are being celebrated as role models, but if so, the presentation of names and job titles is too one-dimensional for my taste. To be quite honest, it was when I logged on to the Woman's Hour website and saw the photographs of these largely low-profile corporate grafters that I became genuinely intrigued. But what I really want to know is the minutiae of their life-work balance, the complexity of their domestic how-does-it-work-with-four-children hinterland. And, most salient of all, do the sacrifices entailed in reaching the pinnacle of a career and grasping the sticky levers of power bring unalloyed happiness? After all, it was revealed only last year that Baroness Thatcher - not a politician overburdened with sentimentality - had admitted in 1995 to the Tory MP Michael Spicer that she regretted ever entering politics because of the effect it had had on her family. Shocking? No, just honest. Women are different and we should all be grown up enough to acknowledge it, without apology. Of course, all such lists as the one produced by Woman's Hour are essentially a parlour game intended to spark further debate. The merits of the panel of judges could itself be argued at length, comprising as it did the former tabloid editor turned author Pollard, Conservative MP Priti Patel, television presenter Dawn O'Porter, ex-Labour MP Oona King, novelist Val McDermid and former Woman's Hour editor Jill Burridge. They made no secret of the emphasis they placed on women in business, and perhaps it might have been better had they confined themselves to that one (diligently researched) field. I'm a devoted Woman's Hour listener, and I've enjoyed contributing to the show on numerous occasions, so I do hope I won't be blackballed for saying this, but I find the concept of "power" slightly alienating, in a Lady Macbeth sort of way. It's a bit 1980s, a bit soulless, and has the slightly dubious connotation of being regarded as an amoral end in itself. The term "influence," on the other hand, feels more subtle, more feminine, less tub-thumping. I would also have preferred a range of stand-alone top 10 categories, enabling a greater representation of creative talent and perhaps even adding a little much-needed froth. Let's not forget that a key feature of female multitasking is the ability to listen intently to Stephanie Flanders's pensées on fiscal choices while simultaneously wondering where she got her statement necklace. It was great to see Mumsnet founders Justine Roberts and Carrie Longton listed, but where was Sheila Kitzinger, tireless childbirth campaigner, who introduced the Birth Plan to Britain? On a more literary note, it seems baffling that Carol Ann Duffy made the cut yet PD James or Hilary Mantel weren't deemed worthy of inclusion. Do forensic intelligence, scholarship and shaping the reading habits of adults count for less than JK Rowling's sorcery with child readers? Soft power could have been a category of its own: walk into any newly chi-chi'd charity shop and you'll see the imprimatur of Mary Portas, who led a government-backed review into halting the decline of our high streets. I'd say that for most women, and indeed men, that makes her a lot more influential than Stella McCartney. Whither Delia, who taught us how to boil an egg? And Mary Berry's quiet dominance armed only with a pair of oven gloves? Or River Café founder Ruth Rogers, who has so massively influenced our cuisine, and whose restaurant is crammed to the rafters with opinion-formers? Dame Helena Kennedy is a criminal omission. Pollard's explanation as to why the Duchess of Cambridge never made the grade was based on "long debates" that resulted in a consensus that she was hugely influential but not yet powerful. I'm really not sure that in modern life there's such a great distinction between the two; perhaps she could have been classed alongside Kate Moss as a style ambassador who can sell out a dress at Erdem or clear the shelves at LK Bennett or H&M just by leaving the house in a new frock and heels. I could go on. And on. Given that the point of the Woman's Hour endeavour was to promote debate, it has certainly succeeded. But given a choice between Machiavelli and Dale Carnegie I find I'm less interested in naked power than in women who win friends and influence people. Woman's Hour's Top 20... The Queen Ana Botín (chief executive, Santander UK) Baroness Brenda Hale of Richmond (Supreme Court judge) Elisabeth Murdoch (chairman, Shine Group) Justine Roberts and Carrie Longton (co-founders, Mumsnet) Lady Justice Hallett (Appeal Court judge) Angela Ahrendts (chief executive, Burberry) Dame Gail Rebuck (chairman and chief executive, The Random House Group) Frances O'Grady (general secretary, TUC) Moya Greene (chief executive, Royal Mail) J K Rowling (author and philanthropist) Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP (deputy leader, Labour Party) Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell (president and vice-chancellor, University of Manchester) Rosemary Squire (co-founder and co-chief executive, Ambassador Theatre Group) Rt Hon Maria Miller MP (Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport) Sara Thornton (chief constable, Thames Valley Police) Anne Glover (chief scientific adviser to the European Commission) Nicola Sturgeon MSP (Deputy First Minister of Scotland) defender of small business and the high street And 10 they overlooked... Mary Portas, indefatigable defender of small business and the high street Mary Berry, inspirational television baker Karen Cook, president, Goldman Sachs Europe Jane Shepherdson, chief executive, Whistles Jessica Ennis, Olympic heroine and role model Hilary Mantel, multi-prize- winning novelist Helena Morrissey, chief executive, Newton Investment Management Michelle Edkins, global head of corporate governance at BlackRock Melanie Clore, chairman Sotheby's Europe Helen Mirren, plain-speaking, award-winning actress