Diversity News

PepsiCo Earns Top Marks in 2009 Corporate Equality Index

PepsiCo received a 100% rating for the fifth year in a row from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation today when it released its 2009 Corporate Equality Index. The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. Through its activities to engage all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. The Index is among HRC's key activities, rating employers on a scale from 0 to 100% on their treatment of lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors.

This year, an unprecedented 259 businesses -- employing more than 9 million workers -- met all of the criteria, earning the top rating of 100%. This figure is up by a third from 195 last year -- and a contrast from its debut in 2002, when only 13 companies, employing 690,000 workers, received the top rating.

"The 2009 Corporate Equality Index shows that corporate America understands that a diverse workforce is critical to remaining successful and competitive," said HRC Foundation President Joe Solmonese. "In the absence of a federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, it is up to employers to take the lead and implement policies that ensure all their employees are protected."

Transgender workers have made major gains since the Corporate Equality Index was first published in 2002. That year, just 5% of rated businesses provided employment protections based on gender identity or expression. The 2009 Corporate Equality Index reports that figure has increased twelve-fold: 66% of rated businesses now prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression, a 28% increase over last year.

The report can be downloaded from HRC's web site at www.hrc.org/cei/.