Forbes recently released a ranking of “America’s Best Employers for Women” for 2018. Among the 300 employers on the list, 25 are schools.
To compile the list, Forbes partnered with statistics firm Statista to analyze data from a survey of 40,000 U.S. employees—including 25,000 women—working for organizations with at least 1,000 employees. In the survey, respondents were asked about working conditions, including diversity and how likely they were to recommend their organization to others. The responses were then scanned for gender gaps. Female employees were also asked to rate employers on factors like pay equity and parental leave.
Also see: 5 steps to improve your pipeline of women leaders, according to 57 female CEOs
The list features 300 organizations with both the highest employee ratings and the most gender-diverse leadership. Here are the 21 higher education institutions and four K-12 schools that made the list:
5. Oregon Health & Science University
9. Harvard University*
10. Gwinnett County Public Schools
19. Maricopa County Community College District*
24. New York University*
31. Parkway School District*
36. University of Virginia*
41. Emory University*
42. Stanford University
57. Fort Bend Independent School District
64. Frisco Independent School District
76. Ohio State University, Columbus*
92. Virginia Commonwealth University*
104. University of North Texas*
125. Vanderbilt University*
128. Rochester Institute of Technology*
137. Cornell University
144. University of Utah*
159. Duke University*
164. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
165. Massachusetts Institute of Technology*
172. James Madison University*
191. SUNY, Stony Brook (Stony Brook University)*
203. Texas State University*
214. Kent State University Kent Campus*
*Editor’s note: EAB congratulates our member institutions who made the list. Member institutions listed above are marked with an asterisk.
Three institutions—Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Harvard University, and Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS)—ranked in the top ten employers for women.
OHSU’s website explains that their “first strategic goal is to be diverse in people and ideas… Diversity maximizes our true potential for creativity, innovation, quality patient care, educational excellence and outstanding service.”
Harvard and GCPS also made Forbes‘ “America’s Best Employers” list earlier this year. “We are very pleased that for the second time since May that Forbes and Statista have recognized Gwinnett County Public Schools as a top employer,” says Linda Anderson, GCPS associate superintendent for Human Resources and Talent Management, in a press release.
At GCPS—one of just four school districts to make the list—78% of the 23,000 employees are women. “To know that those who responded ranked GCPS so highly when it comes to working conditions, diversity, equity, and the other criteria is wonderful… it is what we focus on day in and day out as we strive to be an employer of choice,” says Anderson (Forbes, “America’s Best Employers for Women,” accessed 7/31; Valet, Forbes, 7/24; OHSU site, accessed 7/31; GCPS press release, 7/26).
