HARTFORD, CT /diversitybusiness.com/ Aetna has been named one of the top 50 companies providing professional opportunities for Hispanic women, in awards presented today at the White House. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Aetna has been recognized on the Top 50 list by Latina Style magazine.

"Aetna is proud to be recognized for the diversity within our work force. Creating an environment where there is a genuine respect for diversity is a priority," said Elease Wright, Aetna's senior vice president for Human Resources. "Almost one-third of our work force is people of color, and 79 percent of our employees are women. Integrating diversity is critical to our business objectives and as a result of our commitment to diversity, we are a better company and a better corporate citizen."

This annual recognition is based on extensive research involving more than 600 major corporations in the United States. Companies were evaluated based on a number of areas, including: number of Latina executives, mentoring programs, number of women on board of directors, educational opportunities, dependent/child care support, leave for childbirth, alternative work policies, benefits, women's issues and Hispanic relations. Further information about the awards can be found at http://www.latinastyle.com/latina_style_50.html

In addition to being named one of the top 50 companies for Hispanic women, Aetna has received the following awards and recognition in recent years:

• Top 50 Employers for Minority Groups, Equal Opportunity magazine, 2002;
• Top Corporate 100 List, Hispanic magazine, 2000, 2001, 2002;
• Top 25 Companies for Executive Women, Working Woman magazine, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001;
• Top 50 Companies for Multicultural Business Opportunities, Div2000.com, 2000, 2001;

Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care and related group benefits, serving approximately 15.0 million health care members, 12.1 million dental members and 11.9 million group insurance customers, as of March 31, 2002. Information about Aetna is available at www.aetna.com.