A newly launched free database is putting concrete numbers behind a long-standing question: which major U.S. companies actually promote women into management at rates comparable to men?
The Glass Ceiling Score, developed by data scientists and funded by the Women Leaders Association, analyzes workforce composition data by gender and job title across hundreds of major employers. The searchable tool allows prospective and current employees to compare how companies rank on promotion equity before accepting job offers or negotiating raises.
The project addresses a significant measurement gap. While wage gaps between men and women are tracked extensively—hovering around 15 percent according to Pew Research—promotion disparities have historically escaped systematic quantification at the company level.
The Glass Ceiling Score calculates two key metrics for each employer: the ratio of women in management relative to their representation in the overall workforce, and the percentage point difference between the rates at which women and men advance into management roles.
Unlike previous ranking efforts, the tool operates without requiring corporate payment, sponsorship or self-disclosure. Companies cannot opt out of measurement, and no public relations effort can adjust the underlying numbers. The methodology distinguishes it from indices that reward companies willing to participate or apply for consideration.
The Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, The Economist's Glass Ceiling Index and Forbes' Best Employers for Women list have each contributed to the field but operate under constraints. Bloomberg's index relies on voluntary corporate disclosure from several hundred public companies. The Economist's annual index operates at the country level rather than the employer level. Forbes' list covers only a few hundred firms and depends partly on employee surveys.
The initial dataset covers most major U.S. employers, with geographic drill-downs available for 50 metropolitan areas and all 50 states. Users can compare employers within specific industries, regions and metro markets. Companies scoring well become eligible for Top Women's Workplace awards from the Women Leaders Association's chapters and national organization.
"Women have been told for fifty years to try harder, negotiate harder, and find a mentor," said Lydia Price, 2026-2027 Volunteer Chair of the Women Leaders Association. "The missing piece was never effort—it was information. When a woman can compare how her employer advances women on average in comparison to men on average, it changes the entire frame of reference. The conversation changes from trust us to show me."
The database serves multiple constituencies. Job seekers can evaluate companies before accepting positions. Current employees can benchmark their organizations and bring empirical evidence to promotion discussions. Investors and consumers interested in supporting companies with equitable practices gain a data-driven filtering mechanism. Corporate leadership can see concrete comparisons of their promotion patterns against direct competitors.
The measurement methodology rests on publicly available workforce data that companies must disclose under existing employment law and regulatory requirements. By aggregating and standardizing this data, researchers created a framework requiring no additional corporate compliance burden while eliminating self-selection bias that affects survey-based or application-based indices.
The Women Leaders Association has secured initial funding and is actively seeking additional support from women's foundations and equal-pay philanthropists to maintain free access indefinitely and expand the platform's scope.
Planned enhancements include expansion into European and Asian markets. Future versions will incorporate demographic stratification to measure promotion equity specifically for women of color and other underrepresented groups in management and executive roles, acknowledging that aggregate gender statistics can mask more acute disparities faced by specific demographic subgroups.
The launch arrives amid persistent debates about corporate transparency in diversity and inclusion efforts. Previous initiatives by the federal government to mandate pay transparency or require diversity disclosure have faced political resistance and legal challenges. This database operates within existing legal requirements, using data that companies already report, while making that data accessible and comparable in a way few have attempted before.
