We've recently reported on hiring discrimination, and have done many pieces on the state of diversity in tech. Many firms claim that they are diverse, or that they strive for diversity, but are those efforts panning out?

A new study from data startup Owler tried to find out. Not by looking at corporate diversity numbers, but by polling company "employees, followers, competitors and other stakeholders" to find out how diverse people perceive various companies to be.

The study, 2017 Perceptions of Leadership Team Diversitywas recently released.

Owler's results were tallied based on "11,700 stakeholder responses in total, and provided an assessment of leadership team diversity for over 1,100 unique organizations." Both private and public companies were assessed. 

Snap-on, Autozone, New York Life Insurance, MillerCoors and even popular women's cosmetics brand Mary Kay all came up at the top of the list as being perceived to be diverse within the corporate world. But, plot twist — they're not.

All of these companies are actually run by white men, and possess predominantly white leadership teams. 

Photo: Giphy

We already reported on a study that found diversity issues are getting worse in Silicon Valley, but with hiring discrimination remaining unchanged, surely that isn't the only sector with an issue. 

Owler's report begs two major questions: What is the actual state of corporate diversity and why is the public's perception so distant from reality?