The Best Employers for Women

Even though progress has been made in narrowing the gender gap in U.S. workplaces, the pay gap remains much more pronounced than commonly assumed. In late 2018, the Washington-based Institute for Women's Policy Research said that women are earning just 49 cents to the typical man's dollar which is much less than the 80 cents normally reported. Some organizations are bucking the gender discrimination trend, however, something which prompted Statista and Forbes to team up to identify America's Best Employers for Women.

The 2020 list was compiled by surveying over 75,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations with 45,000 women included in the sample. Four criteria were involved in the evaluation - direct recommendations in terms of general work topics, direct recommendations relevant for women, indirect recommendations as well as diversity levels among top executives or the board. The 300 companies receiving the highest total scores were awarded as the Best Employers for Women 2020. It is also important to mention that the research was conducted during March and April 2020, when Covid-19 was spreading across the country and the responses reflect employee's feelings just before the crisis really took hold.

This year, sporting goods retailer REI jumped 20 places to take top spot with a score of 87.6. The company states that it is devoted to the promotion of diversity, equality and inclusion with women making up 38 percent of its board of directors, half its senior leadership and 45 percent of its total workforce. Additionally, REI has been working over the past three years to dissolve gender labels in outdoor gear and it has funded inclusion efforts, donating $2.5 million to 80 organizations. Unilever comes second in this year's ranking with 87.93 while beauty chain Ultra Beauty rounds off the top-three with 85.52. You can browse the full list on Forbes here.