Women

Equal pay, equal rights and equal treatment are the keys to a future free from poverty for millions of women. On average, women account for around 43% of the agricultural labor force in the developing world but face a myriad of obstacles including limited power over decision-making, access to finance, land, and control of resources. Although many of the Big 10 companies recognize the issues faced by women farmers, all 10 need to identify and implement far reaching  solutions at the farm level with clear gender equality guidelines for their suppliers. Behind the Brands takes a deep look at what the Big Ten companies say they are doing to fight discrimination and to make sure women get a fair deal now and in the future.

How are the scores formed?

We assessed publicly available information on the policies and commitments of the 'Big 10' food companies towards the sourcing of agricultural commodities from developing countries. The Scorecard looks at seven themes, weighing each theme equally. The index tackles some cutting edge issues that will require rigorous debate and dialogue between companies, civil society and industry experts. Find out more...

What do the scores mean?

  1. 8 - 10Good
  2. 6 - 7Fair
  3. 4 - 5Some progress
  4. 2 - 3Poor
  5. 0 - 1Very poor

  1. Coca Cola

    Score
    6

    One of the leaders when it comes to supporting women, Coke scores well for running projects with women in rural areas and for pledging to support women farmers. Now it is about tracking those promises to see what actions the company takes to follow through on its leadership.

    See how Coca Cola score on other issues

  2. Kellogg's

    Score
    6

    Kellogg made the most surprising jump last year to address women’s empowerment with a recent gender impact assessment throughout its supply chain to determine where women are at the highest risk and in which commodities. These actions are promising; we are looking forward to see where Kellogg takes it next.

    See how Kellogg's score on other issues

  3. Mondelez

    Score
    6

    Mondelez is a leader when it comes to decent gender analysis and implementation. The impact assessment and action plan the company delivered was extremely promising. We are now monitoring progress to track those action plan targets.

    See how Mondelez score on other issues

  4. Unilever

    Score
    6

    Unilever is doing a decent job when it comes to gender but it needs to better understand where women are most vulnerable in its supply chain and move its suppliers to make concrete changes. They recently conducted an impact assessment in Vietnam addressing women’s labor rights, which is good step forward.

    See how Unilever score on other issues

  5. Mars

    Score
    5

    Mars has come a long way to address women’s empowerment, particularly in the cocoa sector. The company is making progress to implement its gender action plan, with new targets and ambition. Information about other planned gender assessments in other sourcing countries would be welcome.

    See how Mars score on other issues

  6. Nestlé

    Score
    5

    Nestle delivered a quality gender impact assessment in the cocoa sector and has set ambitious targets in its action plan for 2015. The company is making considerable efforts to gather stakeholder input on its gender equality targets for cocoa. We will continue monitoring to see how Nestle fulfills those commitments.

    See how Nestlé score on other issues

  7. PepsiCo

    Score
    4

    PepsiCo fails to demonstrate basic knowledge about women workers and farmers growing its commodities. It has pledged to offer female workers more support, which is a step in the right direction.

    See how PepsiCo score on other issues

  8. Associated British Foods plc

    Score
    3

    ABF has projects to support rural women, but lacks policies to support them. Plenty still to do.

    See how Associated British Foods plc score on other issues

  9. General Mills

    Score
    3

    General Mills recently signed on to the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles, which is a good step forward. For many years the company has been implementing projects to promote women producers as well as intentionally sourcing from women farmers but in every other category, the company falls short.

    See how General Mills score on other issues

  10. Danone

    Score
    2

    Danone made some improvements in the recent update with a new women’s empowerment commitment. While this is a good sign of improvements it is now important to track what that translates into as actual progress for women farmers.

    See how Danone score on other issues