About the data
The WBA Gender Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to advance gender equality and women's empowerment, tracking how companies integrate gender across their governance and strategy, promote fair representation at all levels of leadership, close the gender pay gap, support workers' health and well-being, prevent violence and harassment, and drive gender equality through their supply chains and communities. The 2026 edition assessed 105 companies across two sectors identified as having a particularly significant impact on gender equality: apparel, and food and agriculture. Companies were scored on 91 elements across six measurement areas: governance and strategy, representation, compensation and benefits, health and well-being, violence and harassment, and marketplace and community. The benchmark is designed to incentivise companies to move beyond policy commitments and take concrete, measurable action to respect and promote gender equality throughout their full value chains, keeping women workers' rights and human rights at its core. More information can be found here.
Methodology
A company committed to gender equality supports initiatives that drive gender equality
and women’s empowerment in the communities where it operates and beyond (e.g. education, health
or finance programmes that explicitly benefit women and girls; proactive engagement and advocacy
on the legal constraints that still limit women and girls globally due to gender discriminatory laws).
Research Guidance
1\. The company has more than one initiative to drive gender equality and women's empowerment. Examples of initiatives include:
a. Cash donations/ Grants (e.g. financial/pro-bono support for gender work, financial support to civil society organisations working to empower women/girls)
b. In-kind donations (e.g. product/ facilities)
c. Employee volunteering
d. Advocacy
e. Other
2\. Partnership with RISE (formerly BSR's HERProject) is also considered good practice if the programme is extended to women in the community beyond the factory workers, and in that case best practice would be that the company publishes information like which specific initiative they are supporting
a. Financial Health
b. Respect
c. Foundation
d. Digital (formerly HERFinance, HERHealth, HERrespect, HERessentials),
e. which communities are participating.
If the BSRHer Project works with women beyond the factories, it can be considered here.
Supplier Diversity programmes are not accepted here.
and women’s empowerment in the communities where it operates and beyond (e.g. education, health
or finance programmes that explicitly benefit women and girls; proactive engagement and advocacy
on the legal constraints that still limit women and girls globally due to gender discriminatory laws).
Research Guidance
1\. The company has more than one initiative to drive gender equality and women's empowerment. Examples of initiatives include:
a. Cash donations/ Grants (e.g. financial/pro-bono support for gender work, financial support to civil society organisations working to empower women/girls)
b. In-kind donations (e.g. product/ facilities)
c. Employee volunteering
d. Advocacy
e. Other
2\. Partnership with RISE (formerly BSR's HERProject) is also considered good practice if the programme is extended to women in the community beyond the factory workers, and in that case best practice would be that the company publishes information like which specific initiative they are supporting
a. Financial Health
b. Respect
c. Foundation
d. Digital (formerly HERFinance, HERHealth, HERrespect, HERessentials),
e. which communities are participating.
If the BSRHer Project works with women beyond the factories, it can be considered here.
Supplier Diversity programmes are not accepted here.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report