The women of Game of Thrones are taking over! Season six saw a huge movement in status, power and personal growth for many of the female characters, including Sansa and Arya Stark, Cersei Lannister, Ellaria Sand, Olenna Tyrell, Yara Greyjoy and of course, fan favorite Daenerys Targaryen. Game of Thrones has often been criticized for the way female characters are portrayed, usually as victims or sexual objects. However, this season, many of the main narratives and plot developments were driven by major female characters coming into power. As the show races towards the end, with only 13 hours left, we can expect the women to continue growing strong, pushing the male leads into the back seat.

1. Sansa Stark

Sansa has come a long way since Season One. She has gone from being the whiny, entitled tween in love with Joffrey Baratheon, to the political prisoner of Cersei Lannister, to the manipulated ward of Littlefinger and to the sexually and physically abused prisoner/wife of Ramsay Bolton. After suffering through so much abuse and manipulation, Sansa was finally able to escape this season and return back to her home as the Lady of Winterfell.

We have witnessed her develop a keen sense of political prowess, thanks to Littlefinger, a strong will and an even stronger sense of justice. Now that Sansa is back home, with Jon Snow by her side, we can expect great things to come from her in the coming seasons. She obviously knows how to play the game of thrones better than Jon, and I expect her knowledge and experience to come into play next season, maybe in ways that are not so beneficial to the new King in the North -- considering her rocky relationship with Littlefinger. By the end of the show, I expect Sansa to be on top and most likely the Queen of the North.

2. Arya Stark

I've already written about the youngest female Stark, which you can read here, but to go further into her character development, Arya Stark has gone down a completely different, and an arguably much more depressing path than her sister.

After her father was beheaded in Season One, she was taken far from the political manipulation of King's Landing, and was instead thrown into the mix of commoners, prisoners, rebels, murderers and assassins. After witnessing torture and murder, the kidnapping of her friends, the deaths of her family members, and suffering through many other countless horrors, she's still managed to come out of each situation relatively unscathed. She has instead adapted and thrived through it all.

And in addition to her new assassin abilities, Arya has developed a hardened heart and cold, calculating sense of morality. After Season Six, with the deaths of the Waif and the Frey family under her belt, Arya has come out on top as one of the most powerful women in the show (though unknown to many characters) and is a definitive force to be reckoned with.

3. Cersei Lannister

Though Cersei has had quite a large amount of power throughout the series, Season Six saw her reach the top. As the newly appointed Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she has finally achieved her goal, though, at the cost of almost all of her alliances and all of her children. With the loss of all three of her children, Cersei has nothing left to protect except her power, which is arguably all she ever cared about in the first place.

Now that she has absolute power, we can expect to see horrendous things from her in the coming seasons, such as the continued tortured of Septa Unella (the Shame nun), the continued destruction of King's Landing, the murder of more enemies, and so on. She has already eliminated many of her enemies through the use of wildfire, though she made one very huge mistake in letting Olenna Tyrell leave King's Landing and survive.

Cersei may be the most powerful woman in King's Landing right now, but that will definitely not last long. Long may she reign?

4. Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand

We can all agree that the plot in Dorne has been absolutely terrible so far; however, it's about to get much more interesting with our favorite sassy grandma, Olenna Tyrell, stepping into play and forging an alliance with the Dornish women.

Olenna Tyrell has been a fan favorite since her first appearance in the show, with her blunt and hilarious quips, her ability to stand up to basically anyone (especially Cersei), and her cunning expertise in playing the game of thrones. With her entire family being wiped out by Cersei, Olenna now has nothing to lose and everything to gain from watching Cersei fall.

With the help of Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes, who now control Dorne after murdering their own uncle and nephew, Olenna will be able to get the revenge she so rightfully deserves.

5. Daenerys Targaryen

Last we saw of the Mother of Dragons, her massive fleet was headed for Westeros with the help of the Tyrells, Martells, Greyjoys, Unsullied, Dothraki and of course, her three dragons. However, it took a long time and a hard journey to get to where she is now.

Dany started out as an orphan under the care of her older and abusive brother, Viserys, both of them living in exile in the Free Cities. Viserys, making a power play, sold Dany to the Dothraki as the bride of Khal Drogo in exchange for an army of 40,000 Dothraki men to help him take back the Iron Throne. However, as the Khaleesi of Khal Drogo's khalasar, Daenerys found herself, gaining the confidence and strength she needed to stand up for herself.

We see her grow into a powerful leader, capable of both ruthlessness and mercy, who has obtained much needed political experience and a massive army to back her up. She now has a loyal crew, including the most intelligent man in the series, Tyrion Lannister, and the brash and dauntless Yara Greyjoy -- who has come into her own as the leader of her family, despite her disgusting uncle trying to keep her down. Though, Yara will deal with him later, I'm sure.

With extremely powerful allies, a massive army and three dragons, Daenerys Targaryen is bound to become the most powerful woman -- nay, the most powerful person -- in Game of Thrones. Watch out, Cersei!