NAFE releases list of top companies for executive women
March 16, 2012
Securing a fulfilling, enjoyable and profitable job after graduation is the ultimate goal of many moms who are pursuing a college degree.
But finding the right employer can be challenging. After all, most moms want to work for a company that values their input and accomplishments, and offers them a promising career path.
The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) recently released its annual list of the top companies for executive women. The 50 companies named by the association offer advancement programs for female employees as well as a culture that supports filling management positions with strong female talent.
"The NAFE Top 50 Companies are major employers that are committed to hiring, retaining and promoting executive women," said Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media and CEO of NAFE. "They go way beyond lip service in helping women succeed. Manager accountability is a key ingredient for success. Nearly half of our 50 winners reward managers financially when they help women advance and more than three out of five require all managers to receive advancement of women training."
As a whole, the companies on the list employ more than 3.6 million people in 16 industries at 48,307 worksites nationwide. Women represent an average of 53 percent of employees at these companies.
The report, conducted by the Working Mother Research Institute, revealed that 22 percent of executive officers at the NAFE Top Companies are women, compared to 14 percent at the Fortune 500.
Companies that made this year's top ten for attracting, retaining and advancing women include Bank of America, Cisco, General Mills, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, The New York Times Company, Procter & Gamble, Prudential Financial and State Farm Insurance.
The entire list of NAFE's Top 50 Companies is available online at WorkingMother.com.
For moms in college, the list may serve as a tool for which companies to target in their post-graduation job search.
However, regardless of where you work, moms who have a bachelor's degree can rest assured that the time, effort and money they've invested in getting a college education will pay off.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010, individuals with a bachelor's degree made an average of $1,038 per week, compared to $767 per week for those with an associate degree, $712 per week for those with some college (but no degree) and $626 per week for those with a high school diploma.
Luckily, many moms can utilizing grants for parents, scholarships for mothers, single mother scholarships and other financial aid to help relieve some of the financial stress of pursuing a degree.
