The 43-year-old single mother, who rose from a troubled immigrant background to high office, follows in a long list of internationally famous female icons including Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve.
Just as intriguingly, French First Lady Carla Bruni only makes eighth place on the list.
Rachida Dati (left) was voted greatest living French woman while Carla Bruni made eighth place - despite being Italian
Most are only too well aware that Miss Bruni was born in Italy, and only received a French passport last year following a whirlwind marriage to President Nicolas Sarkozy.Miss Dati, by contrast, is praised in the survey for traditional French female attributes including style, beauty and sexiness - but also for independence, dynamism and ‘inner steel’ in her professional life.
She received 26 per cent of votes in the poll of more than 3,500 French people. Miss Bruni received 16 per cent.
Born in Saint-Rémy, near Lyon, in the Bourgogne region of northern France, Miss Dati is viewed as an inspiring example to thousands of modern women from ethnic minorities.
Actress Sophie Marceau (left) and politician Rama Yade also made the list
Miss Dati’s parents were an illiterate Moroccan bricklayer and Algerian cleaner, and she left school at 16.Yet through sheer perseverance she finally earned a place in the French government, before being forced out last month.
Miss Dati, who had just given birth to her first child, broke down and cried when told the news, but has pledged to fight on in her career - endearing her to many of her fellow countrymen. She will now stand for the European Parliament in June.
In a further reflection of the changing nature of modern France, most of the women in the top ten of ‘Most Representative Modern Women’ are single mothers or divorcees with hugely complicated private lives.
Ingrid Betancourt, left, came in at fifth position while politician Segolene Royal came in at seventh
There is only one woman in the top ten under 40 - human rights minister Rama Yade, 31.Miss Bruni, who received 16 per cent of votes, spent much of her adult life bringing up a son alone while juggling a long list of famous lovers including Mick Jagger, before she became President Sarkozy’s third wife a year ago.
Commenting on Miss Dati’s place in the new poll, French feminist historian Florence Montreynaud said: ‘Rachida Dati is certainly independent, dynamic, determined, and careerist.’
The new poll, published in the Reader’s Digest Selection magazine followed a survey of 3, 755 people between January 14 and 16 carried out by Global Net.
THE TOP TEN
1.Rachida Dati, 43, Justice Minister
2.Sophie Marceau 42, actress
3. Claire Chazal , 52, TV journalist
4. Simone Veil, 81, veteran politician
5. Ingrid Betancourt, 47, anti-corruption campaigner and former hostage
6. Rama Yade, 31, Human Rights Minister
7. Segolene Royal, 56, former presidential candidate
8. Carla Bruni , 41, French First Lady and pop singer
9. Laurence Ferrari , 43, TV presenter
10.Valérie Lemercier, 44- actress
