Several senior housing and care real estate investment trusts and private equity and commercial real estate firms are among the 380 companies across 11 sectors included in the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.
Launched in 2016, the Bloomberg GEI is designed to bring transparency to gender-related practices and policies at publicly listed companies and increase the breadth of environmental, social, governance data available to investors. The index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand.
“As we continue to grapple with the pandemic, we’ve seen companies put increased emphasis on the ‘S’ in ESG,” said Peter T. Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg. “The companies included in this year’s Gender-Equality Index are committed to providing an inclusive work environment, supporting work-life balance and flexible work arrangements to retain a talented workforce and create a competitive advantage in this changing business environment.”
Chicago-based Ventas was included in the list for the second consecutive year and increased its overall score by five points to 81%, far exceeding the average company score of 64%. Ventas earned its strongest scores for overall disclosures (100%) and for data excellence in the areas of female leadership and talent pipeline, pro-women brand and inclusive culture.
“As a long-standing proponent of gender diversity, we constantly strive to foster a culture that attracts and retains the top talent in our industry, a multifaceted group of individuals whose diversity of thought and perspective drives better business decisions and more successful outcomes for all stakeholders,” Debra A. Cafaro, Ventas chairman and CEO, said in a statement.
Hunt Valley, MD-based Omega Healthcare Investors also was included in this year’s list.
“Omega is extremely proud to be recognized as a leader in gender equality by the Bloomberg GEI for the second consecutive year,” Taylor Pickett, Omega’s CEO, said in a statement. “This recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to recruit and develop a diverse workforce and demonstrates the culture of inclusion that is critical to the success of our business.”
Additional firms with long-term care connections included in the 2021 index include Capital One Financial Group; Becton, Dickinson and Co.; BlackRock; BMO Financial Group; CBRE; Centene Corp.; The Clorox Co.; DaVita; Ecolab; Healthpeak Properties; JLL; Keybank; Sodexo; The Carlyle Group; Welltower; and Willis Towers Watson.
