Pennon, Severn Trent, SSE and United Utilities were among the 380 global companies to feature in a gender-equality benchmarking report.
The utility firms were included on the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (GEI), which tracks the performance of companies for equality and transparency of data reporting.
The 2021 list recognises companies publicly committed to redressing inequality and making opportunities available for women to work and progress.
It scores companies against five criteria: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies and pro-women brand.
Globally, gas and water utilities ranked second highest for disclosure scores at 97 per cent, up by 7 per cent from 2020. While electric utilities scored 95 per cent – a six per cent increase.
Women remain under represented in global utilities compared to average GEI firms at most levels.
It was the second time Severn Trent made the list with an overall score of 71 per cent, which beat its previous mark.
The company performed strongly on gender pay (73 per cent) and creating an inclusive culture (81 per cent).
Chief executive Liv Garfield said: “This global recognition is another proud moment for Severn Trent and shows we’re clearly heading in the right direction when it comes to addressing gender inequality.”
Pennon – the parent of South West and Bournemouth Water – achieved an overall score of 60 per cent, up from 51 per cent last year with strong performance on gender pay (87 per cent) and disclosure (89 per cent).
“Responsible businesses today have an important role to play in promoting social mobility and addressing inequality,” said Susan Davy, Pennon chief executive. “We are passionate about championing diversity, as one of only three FTSE 100 business to have a female chair and CEO, and with a lower than average gender pay gap.”
Elsewhere on the unranked list, United Utilities scored highly for its talent pipeline and being an employer that female staff would recommend.
Julie McGovern, head of people at UU, said it was more than a reporting exercise for the firm that wants to attract diverse talent.
“Reaching and recruiting women, and supporting them into senior roles makes sense for a responsible business. It’s getting harder to attract talent with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills in a traditionally male sector. Focussing on improving the diversity of our workforce will play a key role in ensuring we have the skills we need to drive the business forward,” McGovern said.
SSE was the only UK energy firm on the list and has retained its place for four consecutive years.
Director of HR John Stewart said the GEI is one of the ways SSE demonstrates its performance and identifies areas for improvement.
“We know there is also more work to be done to improve inclusion and diversity across the sector, and SSE is actively involved with a number of organisations which specifically aim to progress gender equality. More broadly, we’re committed to improving all diversity across our business, making sure everyone feels included and helping people from all walks of life and experiences have a career in energy.”