Women in the Workplace

Women in the Workplace

This Allen County Women in the Workplace Report paints a picture of what it’s like to be a woman in our local workforce.

Every year, the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne surveys local employers to understand the landscape of women in leadership, compensation of women, benefits and policies available to women in the workforce, and equitable hiring and retention practices. A full Women in the Workplace Report will be published every five years to comprehensively measure growth, while the Employer Scorecard is published annually.

Download the Full Report

Four Areas of Workplace Gender Equity

In Allen County, we assess workplace gender equity using
the following criteria:

Leadership

In equitable workplaces, women are represented in leadership positions, with:

  • At least 33% of top leadership roles held by women.

  • At least 39% of middle management positions held by women.

Benefits & Policies

Equitable employers support women in the workplace by:

  • Offering 5 of 8 financial or retirement benefits.*

  • Offering 9 of 17 benefits supporting caregiving
    and safety.*

  • Having a zero-tolerance policy for sexism
    and harassment.

Compensation

Workplaces demonstrate a commitment to gender fairness in compensation when:

  • Women comprise 30% or more of the top 10% of salaries.

  • Starting wages of $21/hour or more are offered.

  • Employers do not ask about salary history in the interview process.

Recruitment & Retention

Workplaces committed to equitable recruitment and retention:

  • Offer 11 of 17 benefits and policies to support unbiased recruitment and retention practices.*

  • Offer at least 5 professional development opportunities.

  • Have conducted a race and gender wage gap analysis within the last five years (medium-large employers).

  • Have participated in internal equity training or comparable programs within the last five years (small employers).

*Reference this year’s scorecard for a full list of eligible benefits.

Employer Scorecard Honorees

Join us in recognizing the following honorees’ leadership in creating more equitable workplaces! These honorees have demonstrated outcomes that advance at least three of the four areas of workplace gender equity.

  • 3Rivers Federal Credit Union

  • Asher Agency

  • Benchmark Human Services

  • Community Foundation
    of Greater Fort Wayne

  • Community Transportation Network

  • Custer Inc.

  • Foellinger Foundation

  • Girl Scouts of Northern
    Indiana-Michiana

  • Healthier Moms & Babies

  • Indiana Tech

  • Katz, Sapper & Miller

  • Parkview Health

Previous Employer Scorecards

Key Takeaways

According to the Women in the Workplace report, Allen County women put in the work. With 75% of working-age women in the workforce—higher than the participation rate for the State of Indiana (74%) and the United States (73%)—our success depends on giving women opportunities that help them reach their full economic potential.

Successes

  • More than half of employers surveyed use objective job descriptions and gender-neutral communications.

  • Approximately 2/3 of employers surveyed provide mentorship, talent development, leadership training, and tuition reimbursement to employees.

Opportunities

  • Women are underrepresented in leadership roles and top salaries. They make up only 38.7% of leadership roles, 44% of the top 10% of salaries, and 77.8% of the bottom 10% of salaries. The disparity for Black women is even greater in each category.

  • Less than half of Fort Wayne employers surveyed offer benefits and policies that promote equitable workplaces for women, such as flex time, paid family leave, and family care flexibility.

  • Employers surveyed cite the greatest need for attracting and retaining women in the workplace as access to childcare. 

To learn more, download the report.

Compass Survey

The Women in the Workplace Report and Employer Scorecard are informed by the annual Compass Survey. To complete the survey, employers will need age and gender demographics for all employees, as well as knowledge of policies, practices, and professional development opportunities established within the workplace. Results from the Compass Survey are published annually and celebrated at a luncheon.

The Compass Survey runs annually from August–December.
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With Gratitude

Thank you to the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, Doermer Family Foundation, Don Wood Foundation, and Lilly Endowment Inc. for their generous support of our Economic Security initiative.

Learn how you can support this work