A REFERENCE GUIDEFOR TRACKING RESULTSON GENDER EQUALITY
AND WOMEN’SEMPOWERMENT1. Consider
Reactivate
6. Report

2. Sign

5. Sustain

3. Activate

4. Engage

The WEPs
Transparency& Accountability
Framework
Reference guide for tracking results ongender equality and women’s empowerment

A growing number of stakeholders, including employees, consumers, investors, and civil society,are calling on companies to disclose information on their efforts towards gender equality.
The evidence base for doing so and for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment
continues to expand.
Current corporate reporting practices show how public reporting on a specific issue can drive
companies to take meaningful action.
Companies with greater progress on gender equality and with policies and practices in place
to empower women are more resilient and see stronger growth.
By using the WEPs Transparency and Accountability Framework as a tool for transparent reporting,
WEPs signatories can more effectively work towards a gender equal economy that works for all
women and men.
See for additional information about the WEPs here.

REFERENCE GUIDE

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THE WEPs
TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORKThe WEPs Transparency and Accountability Framework aims to provide companies with a holistic
set of indicators that are most likely to advance gender equality across corporate value chainsaligned with existing corporate gender equality frameworks.*
The indicators aim to challenge the status quo while also enabling companies and organizations
to understand their performance on gender equality and women’s empowerment across theirvalue chain.
The WEPs Transparency and Accountability (T&A) Framework consists of five main parts:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

BASELINE INDICATORSAs companies join and sign the WEPs

ESSENTIAL INDICATORSFor driving sustainable change towards gender equality

COMPLEMENTARY INDICATORSIn key areas to tackle systemic barriers to gender equality

INPUT AND SUPPORT MEASURES INDICATORSTo track policies, practices, measures foundational to achieving gender equality
and women’s empowerment

ADDITIONAL INDICATORS*2These include indicators used by the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool, EDGE, Bloomberg Gender Equality Index,Equileap, Global Reporting Initiative, UNDP Gender Seal, 2X Challenge Criteria, Workforce Disclosure Initiative,
Gender and Diversity KPI Alliance, World Benchmarking Alliance, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

REFERENCE GUIDEThe indicators were chosen based on their potential to drive transformative change for genderequality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community and create
more equitable economic opportunities for all. Ease and probability of companies to report werealso considered during the development and selection of the indicators.
Currently, WEPs signatories are invited to report on the Essential indicators.

1. BASELINE INDICATORS
1.

Percentage of women employees

2.

Percentage of women at management level

3.

Percentage of women on boards/executive teams/partners.

4.

Percent of women and men in investment committees (for investors only)

2. ESSENTIAL INDICATORS
1.

Percent of women and men employees

2.

Percent of women and men in senior management positions

3.

Percent of women and men on boards

4.

Ratio of women’s salary to men’s salary

5.

Percentage of new hires – women and men

6.

Percentage of promotions and career opportunities – women and men

7.

Retention rate of women and men FTE employees who took parental leave.

8.

Has a confidential grievance, resolution, reporting and non-retaliation mechanismand procedure to address and respond to incidents of violence and harassment.

9.

Has mandate/strategy to invest in women, WEPs signatories or other businesssupporting gender equality (for investors only)

10. Encourages investee companies to sign the WEPs and advance theirperformance on gender equality (for investors only).

See further details on how to collect data
against these Essential indicators here.

REFERENCE GUIDE

33. COMPLEMENTARY INDICATORS
These indicators measure key areas to tackle systemic barriers to gender equality. Their implementation
may differ by country, industry and size of company.
WEP

ISSUE

INDICATORCOMMENT

Workplace

PRINCIPLE 2

Women’s representation in nontraditional roles

Percent of women in traditionally
underrepresented roles

Examples include roles in P&L,
technology, construction, heavy
manufacturing, engineering

Training anddevelopment

Average hours of training that theorganization's employees haveundertaken, disaggregated by sexand employee level

This could include training in areas
where women are underrepresented.

PRINCIPLE 4

Marketplace
Percentage of procurement spend
with women-owned businesses

PRINCIPLE 5

Equitable
Procurement
Practices

Percentage of procurement spend
with companies with genderequality commitments

Examples include otherWEPs Signatories

Percentage of workers in supply
chain receiving a living wage,
disaggregated by sex

PRINCIPLE 5

Genderresponsive
marketingHas a stand-alone responsible
marketing policy or a commitment
embedded in a broader corporate
policy that addresses theportrayal of gender stereotypes
Community

PRINCIPLE 6

Genderresponsiveproduct designand development

Has a policy or commitment
embedded in a wider corporate
policy to integrate inclusive
gender considerations into
product design and delivery

Gender equality

Percentage of financial or
pro-bono support for genderequality programmes

PRINCIPLE 6

4REFERENCE GUIDEThis is business opportunity: womenaccount for over USD20 trillion inconsumer spending per year and are
the fastest growing consumer
economy. By 2028, women willcontrol close to 75 per cent of
discretionary spending worldwide.

4. INPUT AND SUPPORT MEASURE INDICATORSThe Input and Support Measures Indicators helps you tracks your inputs to change, such as policies,
practices and measures that are foundational to achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.
WEPISSUE

INDICATORCOMMENT

Leadership

Gender Policy& Action Plan

Has a holistic, organization-wide gender equality
strategy/action plan that identifies specific priority
areas where further improvement can be made withdedicated resources for implementation

Dedicated resources
include budget andhuman resources

Has a stand-alone policy or a commitment embedded
in a broader corporate policy that addresses supporting
employees as parents and caregivers, covering all
employees in major locations of operation

See UN Women’sguidance on family
friendly employers
here and here.

Has a stand-alone policy or commitment embedded ina broader corporate policy on non-discrimination andequal opportunity policy covering recruitment, retention,re-entry, and promotion of all individuals.

PRINCIPLE 1

Due diligence

Conducts a gender-responsive risk assessment as part ofits human rights due diligence process to identify specificgender-related risks, including violence and harassmentand ensure personal safety and security of all employees.
Workplace

Equal pay

Has a stand-alone policy or a commitment embedded
in a broader corporate policy that addresses equal pay
for work of equal value

See UN Women’sguidance on equal
pay here and here.

Caregiving

Offers support programmes for parents andcaregivers, regardless of sex or marital status

See UN Women’sguidance on family
friendly employers
here and here.

Flexible work

Offers flexible work options for all employees

See policy
template here.

Violence andharassment

Provides confidential support for victims of violenceand harassment, including domestic violence

See UN Women’s
guidance here andpolicy templates
here and here.

PRINCIPLE 2

PRINCIPLE 3

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WEP

ISSUE

Violence andharassment

PRINCIPLE 3

Wellbeing

Careeradvancement
PRINCIPLE 4

INDICATORCOMMENTHas policies and procedures to ensure safety, security,confidentiality, and protection of victims of sexual
harassment at workplace.

See UN Women’s
guidance here andpolicy templatehere.

Has a policy prohibiting nondisclosure agreements
pertaining claims of sexual harassment in settlementagreements, unless requested by the victim anddoes not require sexual harassment claims to go to
private arbitration.

See UN Women’s
guidance here andpolicy templatehere.

Has a company-wide policy or commitment to respectand support access to quality health care, including
sexual and reproductive health where relevant, which isreflected in company programs and employee benefits.
Provides leadership training, coaching, and/ormentoring to support women to access management
and leadership positions
Provides training, skills development, education,
networking, and mentoring to recruit women in
non-traditional roles

See UN Women’sguidance here.

Marketplace
Has procurement targets and/or goals for the amountand percentage spend with women-owned businesses
Has procurement targets and/or goals for the amountand percentage spend with businesses with commitments to gender equality
Has a supplier or vendor code of conduct that explicitly
states support for gender equality
Supply chain
PRINCIPLE 5

Offers independently, or as part of a business association,
ongoing capacity building to suppliers and vendors tosupport continuous improvement on gender equality
Has a commitment to pay a living wage to all workers
in its supply chain
Has a policy requiring all suppliers to pay at least thelegal minimum wage to all workers in the company
supply chain

6REFERENCE GUIDESee UN Womenguidance here.

WEP

PRINCIPLE 5

ISSUE

INDICATOR

MarketingHas a stand-alone responsible marketing communication
policy or a commitment embedded in a broader
corporate policy that addresses the avoidance ofgender stereotypes and promotes positive portrayalsof women and girls

Genderbiases

Undertakes gender-responsive assessments of machinelearning and AI tools to prevent perpetuating genderbiases and avoid adverse impacts on women

COMMENT

Community

PRINCIPLE 6

SafetyUndertakes product safety tests that adequately
capture the potential risks for womenSocialresponsibility

Has a stand-alone policy or a commitment embedded ina broader corporate policy that addresses embedding
gender in corporate social responsibility activities,
philanthropy, public advocacy, and partnerships.
Transparency and Accountability

Reporting

Tracking
progress
PRINCIPLE 7

Audit

Reports publicly on all WEPs Essential Indicators
Has time-bound, measurable goals and targets toincrease women's representation in leadership
Has time-bound, measurable goals and targets to increase
women's representation in non-traditional roles

See above for theEssential Indicators.
Public reportinginclude on

www.WEPs.org

Has undertaken a gender audit/evaluation/assessment

REFERENCE GUIDE

75. ADDITIONAL INDICATORS
Leadership•

Annual turnover rate, disaggregated by sex•

Percentage of managers/senior leadership with clear diversity and inclusion goals, which include
gender equality related goals, included as part of their annual performance reviewsWorkplace•

Percentage of employees by employment contract, disaggregated by sex•

Percentage of addressed incidents of discrimination related to sex or gender•

Total number of incidents of discrimination related to sex or gender•

Total number of corrective actions taken related to incidents of discrimination related to sex or gender•

Percentage of employees who have taken gender bias training, disaggregated by sex•

Percentage of employees in a trade union or on a worker committee, disaggregated by sex•

Percentage of employees that were entitled to paid parental leave, disaggregated by sex•

Return to work rate of employees that took paid parental leave, disaggregated by sex•

Percentage of employees taking advantage of caregiver support programs, disaggregated by sex•

Number of weeks of paid maternity leave available in all major locations of operation•

Number of weeks of paid paternity/secondary caregiver leave in all major locations of operation•

Percentage of employees who have taken training on violence and harassment in the workplace,disaggregated by sex•

Ratio of work-related injuries for men to women•

Number of breastfeeding facilities per 50 women employees•

Absenteeism rate, disaggregated by sex•

Percentage of women on health and safety committee out of total committee membership•

Number of adequate and safe toilet facilities per 50 women workers to accommodate hygiene needs
such as clean water and soap and disposal methods for feminine hygiene products
Marketplace•

Percentage of suppliers screened using gender criteria•

Percentage of workers in supply chain, disaggregated by sex and employee level•

Percentage of total financial support and investment, alone or in partnership with banks andfinancial institutions, to provide credit and other financial services to women entrepreneurs
Community8•

Percentage of direct beneficiaries from community projects and initiatives, disaggregated by sex•

Percentage of community programs assessed using gender-related criteria

REFERENCE GUIDE

7PRINCIPLES

Principle 1

Establish high-level corporate leadershipfor gender equality.

Principle 2

Treat all women and men fairly at work– respect andsupport human rights and nondiscrimination.

Principle 3

Ensure the health, safety and well-being of
all women and men workers.

Principle 4

Promote education, training and professional
development for women.

Principle 5

Implement enterprise development, supply chain
and marketing practices that empower women.

Principle 6

Promote equality through community initiatives
and advocacy.

Principle 7

Measure and publicly report on progressto achieve gender equality.

REFERENCE GUIDE

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