Women admire Thatcher, but want to be JK Rowling

London: Move over Angelina Jolie and Kate Moss. Women's role models are engaged in altogether more serious pursuits far removed from the glossy pages of celebrity magazines, according to a new survey.

When YouGov and AOL UK asked women to name their most influential woman, not a single pop star or supermodel made the top 10 and the only actor was Joanna Lumley (at number seven), known recently as much as for her campaigning for Gurkhas' rights as for her career on the screen.

Topping the list was Margaret Thatcher, whose handbags are of a more sober variety than those favoured by the likes of Moss, who finished joint bottom of the list of 25 icons that women picked from. Thatcher attracted 32 per cent of votes, while Moss got just 1 per cent.

The most popular included historical figures such as Florence Nightingale (number two) Anne Frank (number eight) alongside contemporary women such as Michelle Obama (joint sixth) and feminist writer Germaine Greer (joint 11th).

While those surveyed voted Thatcher as the most influential woman, only 2 per cent wanted to swap lives with her. When asked who they would most like to be, 26 per cent of women chose Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

Asked to choose words that described what made women influential, 62 per cent cited commitment, which was the most popular answer, just ahead of hard-working (60 per cent). Intelligence was next, chosen by 46 per cent of respondents, with prettiness cited by just 2 per cent.

Just under half (49 per cent) of women who responded said there were not enough modern day role models.

 Top List: Influential women