Working Mother Releases Annual Top Companies for Executive Women

Working Mother and the National Association for Female Executives released its annual list of the 50 Top Companies for Executive Women in the U.S. The list, which has garnered the attention of the business community, uses a range of criteria to determine which companies provide an environment for women to succeed in leadership positions. Although the list is part of work that's been ongoing, starting with the Working Mother 100 Best Companies which was first released in 1986, it's all part of the work of the recently established Working Mother Research Institute.

Among the top 50 companies sited are Abbott, Accenture, American Express, AOL, Dupont, Fleischman-Hillard, General Mills, IBM, KPMG, Kraft Foods, Marriott International, Office Depot, Procter & Gamble, Wal-Mart and WellPoint. Of the companies on the top 50 list, women hold 23 percent of the board seats (versus 16 percent at the Fortune 500 companies) and represent 14 percent of CEOs (versus 2 percent). "At the 2011 NAFE top companies, women are learning to do it their way and excelling by using their own natural talents," writes NAFE president Betty Spence.