The Euronext Equileap Gender Equality Eurozone 100 and Euronext Equileap Gender Equality France 40 indices have been developed to help market participants invest in listed companies committed to improving gender diversity.
The index methodology also applies activity-based exclusions, UNGC compliance and controversial activities exclusions.
Euronext said the launch comes in response to increasing demand for social thematic investments on the back of UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #5 “Gender Equality”.
The companies included in the indices are selected based on their gender balance in leadership and workforce, equal compensation and work-life balance, policies promoting gender equality, as well as factors surrounding commitment, transparency and accountability.
Camille Leca, head of ESG at Euronext, said: “As a market infrastructure, our role is to propose products for direct investment in ESG projects and, in this case, companies leading the way in gender equality performance.”
The gender equality score provider for these indices, Equileap, assesses each company’s commitment to gender equality from boardroom to supply chain, and is inspired by the UN Women’s Empowerment principles.
Diana van Maasdijk, CEO at Equileap, said high-performing companies with the “drive to do the right thing when it comes to addressing gender equality at work”, apply a similar ethos to other key ESG criteria.
“Investors looking to create a better society with equal opportunities for women at work can now use these indices to back high-quality, high-performing companies,” she said.
Gender diversity has become a more prominent issue within asset management firms themselves, as well as for their underlying investments.
The latest Race to Equality Index found the UK asset management industry lagged hedge funds and insurers on scoring for diversity, equity and inclusion.
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