This year, International Women’s Day had an extra air of urgency. With the Day Without A Woman strikes mobilized all over the country, women have been making themselves heard in new and glorious ways, and many businesses and organizations are doing their parts to help their female employees get the support they need.
One of the most visible symbols of this day of activism came in the form of a modification of a New York City landmark. Long has the Wall Street Bull been a symbol of American progress (*cough cough virility cough*), but for today, it takes on a whole new message. State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), a Boston-based asset manager, commissioned a statue (artist Kristen Visbal) of a defiant young girl to stare down the raging bull as a statement on the wage gap. According to SSGA, “one in four of the 3,000 largest traded US companies don’t have a single woman on their board.”
In a statement regarding the statue’s purpose, SSGA President Ron O’Hanley had plenty to say about the strides that need to be made towards equality.
“A key contributor to effective independent board leadership is diversity of thought, which requires directors with different skills, backgrounds and expertise. Today, we are calling on companies to take concrete steps to increase gender diversity on their boards and have issued clear guidance to help them begin to take action.”
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It’s unknown how long “Fearless Girl” will stand in the Financial District, but it is certainly a welcome gesture. With American women still making 79 cents on the dollar performing the same work as men, this is not the time to be quiet. This is the time to stand against the tide of inequality, even when it isn’t easy. That’s the only way to institute any real change.
(Via Vox)
