Hershey is often branded as Sweetest Place on Earth, but according to Forbes, it’s also one of the fairest when it comes to gender equality in the workplace.
Forbes teamed up with market research company Statista for a study on companies where women were best supported in the workplace. They surveyed 85,000 women in 40 countries on issues such as pay equity, paternal leave, and gender equality and representation in company leadership.
Ranking No. 1 on their list as the world’s most female-friendly company was The Hershey Co., based in Derry Township. The company was founded in 1894, making it one of the oldest companies on the list, and employs 16,880 people, according to Forbes.
The Hershey Co. is also one of only 20 of the top 300 companies to be led by a woman, Forbes reports. CEO Michele Buck took the position in 2017, and more than 40% of the company’s board members are women.
“By 2025, [The Hershey Company] aims to increase the percentage of women in its workforce to 50% and in leadership to 42%, up from the current 48% and 37%,” read the story by Forbes accompanying the results. “After achieving pay equity in the U.S. in 2020, Alicia Petross, Hershey’s chief diversity officer, says the company is now setting its sights on closing its pay gap globally.”
The full ranking of companies done by Forbes can be found here.