What are the best companies to work for if you're a woman?
The answer to this question has become especially pertinent as working women continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic: multiple studies have shown that women are reporting higher levels of burnout than men and taking on more caregiving responsibilities while balancing their jobs.
Women continue to earn less than men, too, as women working full-time in the United States are still paid 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man, according to the Department of Labor.
Comparably, a workplace culture and compensation platform, has ranked the best companies for women to work at in 2021 based on more than 15 million ratings from current female employees across 70,000 companies.
Ratings were written between November 2020 and November 2021, and answered questions about career growth, compensation, benefits and other topics for each organization. Sample questions included "Do you feel burnt out at work?" and "Do you believe you're paid fairly?"
The top large companies for women have several important traits in common including competitive parental leave policies and a clear commitment to diversity and inclusion, as well as female leadership, Jason Nazar, co-founder and CEO of Comparably, tells CNBC Make It.
"Organizations, as a whole, are improving their environments for female employees compared to three, five years ago," Nazar says. "But more companies need to take action and make changes to their pay policies, benefits and hiring practices to retain women."
He adds: "Employees are not expecting perfection, they just want to see a true commitment to improvement — and I think when people see that happen, they feel really good about where their company is at and want to be part of that change, too."
Here are the top 10 large companies for women to work at, according to Comparably:
1. IBM
Industry: Technology
Location: Armonk, New York
Employee Feedback: "At IBM a woman is free to express her opinion, and express interest in taking on a work item without fear of being shut down. It's a wonderful place for women to work that is full of real opportunities for women to contribute."
2. Experian
Industry: Finance
Location: Costa Mesa, California
Employee Feedback: "I appreciate the different benefits, the ERGs and the support they give to women. And also that they understand the current situation and how it affects families and therefore our work."
3. Adobe
Industry: Technology
Location: San Jose, California
Employee Feedback: "We have lots of leaders committed to iterating programs and policies that will benefit all employees, especially women and underrepresented groups at the company."
4. HubSpot
Industry: Technology
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Employee Feedback: "Women leaders at HubSpot actively seek to support, empower, and celebrate other women."
5. Medallia
Industry: Technology
Location: San Francisco, California
Employee Feedback: "They promote people from within and continually support women in leadership roles."
6. Insight Global
Industry: Staffing/Recruiting
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Employee Feedback: "I truly look up to the female leadership in this company. These women are powerful!"
7. Boston Consulting Group
Industry: Consulting
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Employee Feedback: "I don't need to worry about my benefits covering me and my family. For example, my health insurance plan has no premiums, no deductible, and very low co-pays."
8. ArcBest
Industry: Transportation
Location: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Employee Feedback: "I like the transparency they provide and the mix of men and women that serve on our leadership team."
9. Microsoft
Industry: Technology
Location: Redmond, Washington
Employee Feedback: "Fertility treatments, adoption fees, housekeeping, fitness and office equipment — anything to support quality of life as a well rounded professional. Too much to list, it's incredible."
10. The Knot Worldwide
Industry: Technology
Location: Chevy Chase, Maryland
Employee Feedback: "I love working on a team full of smart, hardworking, collaborative women! Here, everyone working on the go-to-market team genuinely works hard to be supportive and collaborative."
Check out:
4.8 million working parents have 'preventable' burnout—here are 5 things that can ease the stress
38% of women in tech plan on leaving their job within the next 2 years—here's why
5 ways managers can talk about mental health at work without overstepping
Sign up now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter
