In honor of Women's History Month, we bring you the top 20 companies in the finance and insurance industries that are perfect for women who value workplace culture, and learning how to develop and grow their careers.
Working Mother magazine and the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), one of the largest associations for women professionals and business owners in the U.S., partnered to release the 2016 list of the Top Companies for Executive Women. The list includes 60 companies in total, 32 of which are related to health care, the health industry, business and the financial industry, and 20 of those we are featuring here.
So, what makes these companies great places for women to work? According to the methodology posted on the Working Mother website, the companies decide if they want to participate in the application process in which they are asked about career advancement for women within the company, employee engagement and other requirements. This year's list is based on data collected from 2014.
Here are the top companies in the health insurance and financial industries for women for 2016, in alphabetical order, with the number of employees, the percentage of female employees (which are estimates based on NAFE's list or the companies' information), corporate programs for women, and brief information about the company and what it offers.
Aetna
No. of employees: 48,383
Percentage of female employees: 76%
Corporate program for women: Aetna Advocating Real Change group, which works to increase employee engagement, retention and visibility.
The well-known American-managed health care company, Aetna, sells health insurance and other related services.
(Image: Aetna's Facebook screenshot)
Allstate
No. of employees: 32,095
Percentage of female employees: 56% of their employees; 25% of Allstate agency owners at year-end 2014.
Corporate program for women: IMPACT leadership courses also provides leader development sessions.
Allstate Corporation is the second largest personal lines insurer in the U.S. and the largest publicly held insurer.
(Image: Allstate's Facebook screenshot)
AON
No. of employees: 72,000
Percentage of female employees: n/a
Corporate program for women: AON has an executive sponsorship program for emerging female and multicultural leaders that gives participants a chance to take part in other projects.
AON is a multinational corporation that provides risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, as well as investment banking, human resource solutions and outsourcing services.
(Image: AON's Facebook screenshot)
Bank of America
No. of employees: 191,825
Percentage of female employees: More than 50%
Corporate program for women: The Women's Leadership Program is offered in partnership with two universities and in which participants get promoted at seven times the rate of nonparticipants.
A banking and financial services company, Bank of America is the second largest bank asset holding company in the U.S.
(Image: Bank of America's Facebook page)
BDO USA, LLP
No. of employees: 4,678
Percentage of female employees: 50%
Corporate program for women: Women's Initiative Network started in 2008 and it offers grassroots events and other ways to engage with executive leadership. It also has a new webinar series featuring experts who talk about everything from work-life balance to the perspective of male leaders.
A member of BDO International, BDO USA is an accounting and consulting firm that serves national and international clients.
(Image: BDO's Facebook screenshot)
Citi
No. of employees: 78,322 (in the U.S.)
Percentage of female employees: More than 50%
Corporate program for women: Citi Women Initiative, launched more than 10 years ago, has two development programs, nationwide panel events, and has provided 761 senior managers with formal sponsorship.
Citi is a multinational investment banking and financial services company based in New York City.
(Image: Citi's LinkedIn page)
Ernst & Young LLP
No. of employees: 35,240
Percentage of female employees: 48%
Corporate program for women: They have multiple initiatives, events and competitions for women. They also presented their Women. Fast Forward research at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, about how companies should spearhead female-friendly policies and promote a supportive work environment.
Better known as EY, this multinational professional services firm is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
(Image: EY's Facebook)
First Horizon National
No. of employees: 4,305
Percentage of female employees: 60%
Corporate program for women: Their program provides six internal resource groups to receive additional training, mentoring, education and networking opportunities. The company also has a three-year diversity plan that encourages hiring, retention and advancement of women and multicultural employees. Also, according to Working Mother, management in each department makes sure that women and men are paid equally by studying their salaries on a regular basis.
First Horizon National Corporation is a bank holding company based in Memphis, Tennessee, and the parent company of First Tennessee Bank, FTN Financial, FTB Advisors, Inc., and other insurance and financial services companies.
Grant Thornton LLP
No. of employees: 6,456
Percentage of female employees: n/a
Corporate program for women: Senior Manager Academy is a three-year program that exposes employees at that level to coaching, leadership research and other opportunities. The company also offers a training program that prepares employees for maternity or adoption leave.
The American member of firm Grant Thornton International, Grant Thornton LLP, is the fifth largest accounting network in the world when measured by its combined fee income. The American counterpart is the sixth largest U.S. accounting and advisory organization.
(Image: Grant Thornton's Facebook)
MassMutual Financial Group
No. of employees: 7,018
Percentage of female employees: n/a
Corporate program for women: The company decided to take an in-depth look at how they were engaging with their female employees. They've launched a diversity dashboard that shows senior leaders how well objectives are being met and last year introduced a three week, fully-paid maternity or adoption leave, available in addition to the company's short-term disability leave.
With more than 13 million clients worldwide, MassMutual is one of the largest insurance companies in the world, and provides insurance and other financial services.
