Meet The World’s Top Companies For Women 2024

In the hospitality industry, where men occupy the majority of leadership positions, it can be difficult for female employees to make their mark. But not so at Hilton Worldwide Holdings, the storied hospitality company comprised of 24 brands and more than 8,300 properties across five continents. There, as Laura Fuentes, Hilton’s chief human resources officer, says, management’s focus is on “creating an inclusive environment that empowers all of our team members, including the thousands of women across our hotels and offices around the world.” As a result, she says, female employees at Hilton are encouraged to share their ideas and expertise, and “each day, the women of Hilton make our business stronger, smarter and more innovative through their unique contributions.”

The company also supports the growth and wellbeing of employees through training and development programs, mentorship opportunities, and personalized health benefits that address issues impacting women in particular, including menopause and autoimmune conditions. For these reasons and more, Hilton ranked No. 1 on our list of the World’s Top Companies For Women 2024.

To create this fourth annual list, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista and surveyed approximately 100,000 women working for multinational corporations across 37 countries. To qualify for consideration, each corporate group was required to operate in at least two of the six continental regions of the world (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and Oceania). Surveys were collected through anonymous online access panels, allowing participants to answer freely.

Survey participants were asked—among other questions—if they would recommend their employer to friends or family, and to rate the organization on both general workplace practices and gender-specific issues including gender pay equity and whether men and women have the same opportunities for advancement within the company. Participants were also asked to rate how other companies within their respective industries stacked up as employers.

The companies were also evaluated based on women’s perceptions of the organizations in relation to gender. To measure this, women were asked about such issues as whether the company fights against gender stereotypes through its products, marketing campaigns or nonprofit initiatives. Lastly, the analysis accounted for the percentage of women in leadership positions at each of the eligible companies. All of the data points were tallied, and the 400 companies with the highest total scores made our ranking. (For more on the methodology, see below.)

The industries that were most represented on this year’s list were banking and financial services (comprising 11% of the ranked companies) and engineering and manufacturing (9% of the listees), but companies within these industries did not earn spots in the top 10. French mutual insurance company MAIF landed at No. 2 (down from No. 1 in 2023), German beauty retailer Douglas took No. 3. (up from No. 30 last year), British conglomerate Virgin Group ranked at No. 4, and American media and entertainment giant Netflix nabbed No. 5.

Notably, MAIF prioritizes inclusive hiring and development programs and professional equality between women and men, promising its employees “the same opportunities during recruitment and throughout their career regardless of their life choices, origin, age, state of health, disability or gender identity.” The company also guarantees equal pay for women and men, and fights against discrimination and harassment at work through trainings and clearly defined reporting systems.

Similarly, Douglas fosters the advancement of female employees, and its company statistics bear this out with more than more than 50% of its leadership positions held by women.

For its part, Virgin has put its money where its mouth is by funding female start-up founders, who have long received disproportionately less funding than male founders. (Female-founded companies receive only about 2% of venture capital investment, according to the World Economic Forum.) In fact, in 2019, Virgin StartUp launched its 50:50 Pledge—a commitment to close the funding gap between female and male founders—and currently, the company funds 48% female entrepreneurs and 52% male ones through its Start Up Loans.

Fiona Czerniawska, founder and CEO of the London-based firm Source, a global market research and advising company, notes that cultural shifts in the workplace are also critical to advancing more women into senior level roles—and progressive companies are working toward that by offering greater access to parental leave benefits, childcare and workplace flexibility. But many companies are still lacking in this realm: One small survey out today from Aeroflow Breastpumps found that 82% of working mothers believe their employer could provide more support and resources to help balance breast pumping and workload, and more than 54% say that their employer’s pumping policies have made them consider a job or career change.

Czerniawska also emphasizes that it’s crucial for companies to reject stereotypical tropes that position men as the strategic thinkers who “come up with the big ideas, while women are the doers who run around and make them happen,” she says, “when actually, women have really good ideas too, but they’re less likely to talk about it and grandstand; and they’re more focused on getting things done.” Indeed, research shows that in the workplace, the assumption remains that women—especially women of color—are supposed to be self-effacing team players or “worker bees” who traditionally take on what’s known as “office housework,” while men—especially white men—take on more high-profile, revenue-generating work.

These stereotypes, however, are being challenged, says Czerniawska. “There’s an evolving conversation about how women manage business, and the nature of leadership, which I think will benefit women in the long term.”

To see which companies are leading this conversation, check out our full list of the World’s Top Companies For Women.

Methodology

To determine the World’s Top Companies For Women 2024, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey approximately 100,000 women working for multinational corporations across 37 countries. To qualify for consideration, each corporate group was required to operate in at least two of the six continental regions of the world (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and Oceania). Surveys were collected through anonymous online access panels, allowing participants to answer freely.

Survey participants were asked—among other questions—if they would recommend their employer to friends or family, and to rate the organization on both general workplace practices and gender-specific issues, including gender pay equity, management’s responses to female discrimination concerns, and whether men and women have the same opportunities for advancement within the company. Participants were also asked to rate how other companies within their respective industries stacked up as employers. All of these responses were categorized as the “employer brand score.”

A separate category, the “public opinion score,” was based on women’s perceptions of the companies in relation to gender. To measure this, women were asked about issues including: whether the company fights against gender stereotypes through their products, marketing campaigns or nonprofit initiatives; if the company’s leaders use their platforms to promote gender equality; and if the organization has been embroiled in gender-related scandals. Lastly, eligible companies were assessed to determine the percentage of women in leadership positions at the organization, resulting in their “leadership score.”

All of these data points were aggregated and combined with survey data collected over the past three years, with the current data weighted more heavily than older data. The employer brand score accounted for 50% of each company’s score; the public opinion score represented 30%; and the leadership score 15%. Ultimately, the 400 companies with the highest total scores made our ranking.

As with all Forbes lists, companies pay no fee to participate or be selected. To read more about how we make these lists, click here. For questions about this list, please email listdesk [at] forbes.com.