Atlanta – October 07, 2026 -- A free database now lets anyone type a major U.S. employer's name into a website and see, within about 30 seconds, whether women there rise into management and executive roles at the same rate as men. The tool, funded by the Women Leaders Association, is built entirely from companies' actual workforce numbers rather than surveys or recruiting materials.
Two scores reveal where women actually stall in their careers
The platform generates a Glass Ceiling Score, which measures whether women reach executive roles at rates comparable to men, and a Management Entry Score, which tracks whether women hit first-level management at similar rates -- the point where research shows most careers stop advancing. Users can compare employers within an industry or search by metro area and state to see top performers in local job markets.
Pew Research estimates women earn roughly 15 percent less than men on average, a gap the project's organizers tie directly to who gets promoted into management in the first place.
No company can opt out or pay to improve its score
Because the scores are calculated directly from workforce data, companies cannot influence results through sponsorships, payments, or public relations, and no employer can exclude itself from being measured. Lydia Price, the Women Leaders Association's 2026-2027 Volunteer Chair, said the tool shifts the conversation from "trust us" to "show me" when women evaluate job offers or raises.
Companies with strong records on promoting women into management receive Top Women's Workplace awards at the chapter and national level through the organization.
The database expands on a decade of narrower gender-equality indexes
Earlier efforts included The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index, which ranks conditions for working women by country rather than by employer, and the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, which tracks several hundred public companies that self-report through voluntary disclosure. Forbes' Best Employers for Women list surveys employees at a few hundred large firms annually, while The Times and Business in the Community's Top 50 Employers for Gender recognizes UK organizations that apply for consideration.
The new tool covers far more companies than those indexes, publishes an individual score for each employer rather than a short list, and relies on workforce statistics instead of surveys or applications.
Coverage will expand beyond the U.S. and add race-based promotion data
The initial release covers most major U.S. employers, with expansion planned across Europe and Asia. Future versions will add promotion-fairness scoring broken down by race and other underrepresented groups. Organizers said they expect additional women's foundations and equal-pay philanthropists to fund the project, with the goal of keeping it permanently free.