Carnival Corporation Named to Forbes' 2026 Best Employers for Women List

Carnival Corporation has been named to Forbes' ninth annual list of America's Best Employers for Women for 2026, marking another workplace culture milestone for the world's largest cruise operator.

What the Recognition Involves

The Forbes Best Employers for Women ranking features the top 700 companies in the United States, with placements determined through an independent survey of more than 146,000 women employed at U.S. companies with at least 1,000 staff. In total, the study drew on over 4 million employer evaluations gathered over a three-year survey period.

Respondents were asked to assess their employers across several factors, including how likely they'd be to recommend their workplace to others, along with company culture, atmosphere, representation and parental leave policies. The study also factored in the proportion of women holding executive and board-level positions at each company — a benchmark that continues to carry significant weight in employer rankings for women in the workplace.

Carnival's Response to the Recognition

Bettina Deynes, Carnival's global chief human resources officer, said the recognition carries particular significance given the scale and diversity of the company's global workforce. With more than 160,000 team members representing nearly 150 countries, Deynes noted that Carnival sees both an opportunity and a responsibility to build a culture where employees have a voice, room to grow, and genuine support in building long-term careers.

She added that the company remains focused on continuing to improve, with the broader goal of becoming the world's leading employer of choice within the hospitality, travel and leisure sector.

Part of a Broader Push on Gender Representation

This recognition arrives shortly after another significant milestone for the company: the appointment of Daniela Gargiulo as Carnival's first-ever female Staff Captain across its global fleet, announced just a week earlier. Taken together, the two developments point to a wider effort within Carnival Corporation to strengthen female representation at both the corporate and shipboard leadership level — a trend increasingly visible across the cruise industry's approach to workplace diversity in cruise careers.

Why This Matters for the Cruise Industry

As the global cruise sector continues to expand its workforce, employer rankings like Forbes' Best Employers for Women list are becoming an important reference point for jobseekers evaluating careers in hospitality and travel. For a company of Carnival's scale, this kind of recognition signals to both current employees and prospective talent that gender-inclusive workplace policies remain a genuine priority, not just a talking point.