This major company installed a “defiant girl” statue on Wall Street to promote gender equality
If ever there was a day for bold choices, it’s International Women’s Day…as in, TODAY. And we heard that a statue of a defiant girl is staring down the Wall Street bull, and yes, that sentence needs explanation.
Major finance company State Street Global Advisors is very aware of the need for gender diversity within the finance industry. So they decided to make a super public statement about it.
The statue, created by artist Kristen Visbal, is of a determined little girl, and was placed directly in front of the famous Wall Street bronze bull. And yes, the image of a young girl standing bold and strong against a traditionally male symbol is rife with metaphor — and State Street Global knows it. The gesture signifies the company’s desire to encourage other large companies to have at least one female member on their boards. They will also take active steps to penalize companies they work with that do not meet this requirement.
State Street’s global chief investment officer, Lori Heinel, explained their decision to create and install the statue in Business Insider.
"One of the most iconic images on Wall Street is the charging bull. So the idea of having a female sort of stand against the bull or stand up to the bull just struck us as a very clever but also creative and engaging way to make that statement. Even though it's a little girl, her stance is one of determination, forwardness, and being willing to challenge and take on the status quo," she said.
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We’re totally digging the way that State Street has taken initiative in closing the gender gap, and we’re beyond impressed by the creative way they went about it.
Happy International Women’s Day!
