UK water company Severn Trent has been recognised in the 2022 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) for the third consecutive year.

The index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brands.

A World Bank report, released in 2019, identified a lack of women in technical and managerial positions in water utilities and an recent Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership report found women make up 29.1% of the workforce in water industry, compared to 47.3% of women in the UK’s workforce across all sectors.

However, the International Water Association say the water sector is making progress towards gender diversity in comparison to 20 years ago, which is largely due to an increasing focus on combining technical with socio-environmental and economic solutions.

Around 420 publicly listed companies, representing a combined US$16 trillion in value, and spanning 45 countries were included in the 2022 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI). Severn Trent was the only water utility to make it onto the list.

“We believe that a diverse and inclusive organisation is a more successful one," said Liv Garfield, chief executive of Severn Trent. "By creating a workforce that’s fair for all, it’ll help us to understand our communities more, which will lead to better outcomes for our customers. None of this can be achieved without addressing gender inequality. It remains a key focus for us, as we continue to play our part in building a fairer and equal society.”

A record number of companies disclosed their data for this year’s GEI, an increase of 20% year-over-year. This demonstrates a growing commitment to gender equality and recognition that the global business community can lead the charge for meaningful change by committing to more transparent reporting and disclosure of social data.

“The changing nature of work due to the pandemic has highlighted the importance of addressing gender equality issues in a rapidly-evolving global workforce,” said Peter Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg. “The Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index recognises companies that are maintaining a strong focus on providing an inclusive work environment that supports the evolving needs of employees and retains the competitive strengths gained through gender diversity, which is increasingly critical in this challenging business environment.”