In their latest diversity report, Apple proudly announced an increased rate of hiring more women and minorities. The tech leader also reported that women and minorities are being paid the equivalent of white male employees, addressing one of the most prevalent issues of inequality: the pay gap.
But although Apple is making efforts to diverse its hiring, 68 percent of males still make up the Apple workplace compared to a small 32 percent of women. In today's workforce, these numbers aren't surprising. According to an Ernst & Young report from 2015, there are more CEOs of large companies in the United States named David than CEOs who are women.
The discrepancy is just one reason journalist Iris Kuo and marketer Camille Ricketts had the idea for LedBetter, a research group focused on spotlighting the gender makeup of leadership at the world's most popular brands. LedBetter launched earlier this year with the goal of raising awareness—to both women and men—about the lack of gender equality in leadership.
Based on LedBetter's database, here's a list of five consumer brands leading the way for gender equality, and five companies falling behind.
Leading the Way in Gender Equality
1. H&M
Industry: Fashion Retail
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Size: 148,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (58 percent); Male (42 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (41 percent); Male (69 percent)
2. Alexander McQueen
Industry: Designer Fashion
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Size: 200
Female Representation on the Board: Female (64 percent); Male (36 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (36 percent); Male (64 percent)
3. Gap
Industry: Fashion Retail
Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Size: 137,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (36 percent); Male (64 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (57 percent); Male (43 percent)
4. Etsy
Industry: Specialty Retail
Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York
Size: 600
Female Representation on the Board: Female (50 percent); Male (50 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (43 percent); Male (47 percent)
5. Best Buy
Industry: Electronics Retail
Headquarters: Richfield, Minnesota
Size: 125,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (36 percent); Male (64 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (55 percent); Male (45 percent)
Falling Behind on Gender Equality
1. Samsung
Industry: Electronics
Headquarters: Suwon, South Korea
Size: 489,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (0 percent); Male (100 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (0 percent); Male (100 percent)
2. Coty, Inc. (Rimmel London, OPI, Philosophy)
Industry: Cosmetics
Headquarters: London, England
Size: 9,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (0 percent); Male (100 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (0 percent); Male (100 percent)
3. Cartier
Industry: Designer Fashion
Headquarters: Paris, France
Size: 10,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (6 percent); Male (94 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (0 percent); Male (100 percent)
4. Mr. Coffee
Industry: Home Products
Headquarters: Cleveland, Ohio
Size: 10,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (8 percent); Male (92 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (0 percent); Male (100 percent)
5. Elmer's
Industry: Adhesives/Hardware
Headquarters: Westerville, Ohio
Size: 1,000
Female Representation on the Board: Female (8 percent); Male (92 percent)
Female Representation in Executive Leadership: Female (0 percent); Male (100 percent)
Header Photo: Twenty20
Embedded Photos: Creative Commons
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