Anne Hathaway is the newest UN Goodwill Ambassador, and we can’t wait to see what she does

Anne Hathaway is a busy lady. In addition to being a new mother and her work on the recent Alice Through The Looking Glass, she’s recently added another thing to her plate — she’s the newest United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. She will be joining other powerful and brilliant celebrities, such as Nicole Kidman, Emma Watson, and Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the princess of Thailand, to promote gender equality.

In a press release, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka said that Hathaway will focus in particular on increasing parental leave for new parents.

It’s often hard for fathers to take time off when couples decide to start families, because of cultural stereotypes that tell us that men should be the breadwinners and women should stay at home. This can often have negative effects on both men and women — men, because they, too, have nurturing qualities and want to be able to spend time with their families, and women, because they suffer in the workplace and want to be able to advance in their careers.

Mlambo-Ngucka explains, ““The ‘motherhood penalty’ — which means that when they become mothers, women’s pay and opportunities at work suffer — is a particularly insidious demonstration of gender inequality in the workplace. For too long it has been difficult or impossible to view raising a child as being truly an equal responsibility for both parents.”

Hathaway will work with UN Women to implement their Women’s Economic Empowerment plan, a cause she’s incredibly passionate about. In that same press release, Hathaway said, “I feel honored and inspired by this opportunity to aid in advancing gender equality. Significant progress has already been made but it is time that we collectively intensify our efforts and ensure that true equality is finally realized.”