Dive Brief:

• Research and consulting firm Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE have released the results of the annual Best Workplaces for Women rankings.
• According to the organization, their findings show that where women are valued, other disenfranchised groups are, too. Where women thrive, non-whites, members of the LBGT community, millennials and lower-paid employees also do well.
• The research also found that women at the Best Workplaces rate their employers high on professional development. Ninety-five percent of women describe the winning workplaces as friendly, welcoming environments they would recommend to others and 93% of all employees at these top-rated workplaces said customers rate their employers' services as "excellent."

Dive Insight:

Studies show that diversity can have positive effects on an employer's bottom line, whether done through policy changes or cultural overhauls. But women still lag behind men in pay, promotion, leadership roles and recognition in some companies and industries. Diversity efforts can help, but employers can only create a truly diverse company if their key structures (recruiting, benefits, etc.) support it.

Many tech firms, for example, have hiring goals for more women, but struggle to meet them. And they often have cultures that prove to be hostile towards women; the industry has had to face a number of sex discrimination and sexual harassment allegations in recent months.

For employers that want to perform a self-evaluation or make some changes, the rankings offer some metrics against which other employers can compare themselves, such as respect, fairness, management and camaraderie.