A reluctant feminist: Germany's Merkel still inspires many women

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a top candidate of the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU) for the upcoming general elections reacts at the final election rally in Munich, Germany September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle/File Photo

BERLIN/COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has become a feminist icon after 16 years in power even though the world's most powerful woman has only belatedly accepted that label as she prepares to step down, and conceded that gender equality is still a long way off.

"She is admired by women all over the world, this is her main legacy. That a woman showed what she is capable of and does this with dignity and resolve," German feminist activist Alice Schwarzer told Reuters.