2023 Gender Benchmark: Investor Guidance

This guidance for investors elaborates on the five key findings from the World Benchmarking Alliance’s 2023 Gender Benchmark. Under each key finding are a series of assessment questions that investors can use in their stewardship activities. These questions can be used during company engagement, and evidence from the benchmark can inform the engagement rationale. These questions are meant to provide a starting point and may require additional research and context in some cases. The examples of leading practices could be used in conjunction with this guidance document to inform users about what good disclosure looks like on specific areas of our assessment.

About the 2023 Gender Benchmark

In November 2023, the second iteration of our Gender Benchmark ranked 112 of the world’s most influential companies globally in the apparel and food and agriculture companies globally on their responsibility to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.

We also assessed 1,006 companies spanning more than 80 countries on the first steps that companies should be taking to address gender inequality. Our key findings contain insights from both our in-depth benchmark assessment as well our assessments of the 1,006 companies.