PFW honored for representation and care of female employees

Purdue University Fort Wayne was one of only five employers honored with a Silver Award by The Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne when its first Allen County Women in the Workplace Report was released Wednesday. This was highest recognition presented for 2023.

The categories assessed were compensation of women, women in leadership, equitable hiring and promotion practices, and supportive benefits and policies.

PFW met three of the four top criteria as an equitable workplace, was one of four businesses to be recognized for supportive benefits and policies, and one of the top three highlighted for positive recruitment and retention of women.

Melissa Helmsing, interim associate vice chancellor of Human Resources and Office of Institutional Equity, and Kirk Toliver, associate director for payroll and compensation, represented PFW at the luncheon.

To achieve its findings, the Women’s Fund, which is an initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, conducted a survey of area employers. The entities that responded represent 21,249 total employees. The survey will be conducted annually.

According to statistics released in the report, Allen County includes 75% of working-age women in the workforce, higher than the State of Indiana (74%) and the U.S. (73%). In Indiana, the average pay gap between a man and a woman is $12,460, and in Allen County the gap is $15,590.

Women make up 50.7% of the Fort Wayne population and account for 46.8% of full-time employees. Women also account for 75.8% of part-time employees. According to the report, women in the companies surveyed are underrepresented in leadership roles and top salaries, making up most of the bottom 10% of salaries at 77.8%.

Find the full report by clicking here.