‘Fearless Girl’, the statue that made headlines around the world when it was installed opposite Wall Street’s well-known ‘Charging Bull’ statue, is heading to Melbourne’s Federation Square ahead of International Women’s Day next month.
The statue’s visit to Australia is sponsored by law firm Maurice Blackburn and super industry funds HESTA and Cbus. It will remain in Federation Square for two years before finding a more permanent home somewhere else in Australia.
Maurice Blackburn’s CEO said that the statue will serve as a reminder that Australia still has a long way to go in the fight for gender equality, particularly in the workplace.
Just yesterday, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article with a built-in feature that lets you check if there’s a significant gender pay gap in your profession. Their research found that despite a decrease in the gender pay gap last year, men earn more than women in 97% of full-time jobs in Australia.
The statue is just one of four in the world, with others in Oslo, South Africa and, obviously, New York. The New York statue has previously travelled to Ireland to fight climate change, appearing at Dublin Castle during the country’s first Climate Week late last year.
The New York statue was moved from her place opposite the Charging Bull, and it can now be found in front of the New York Stock Exchange. A plaque with footprints can be found at her original location.
‘Fearless Girl’ is a bronze sculpture by artist Kristen Visbal that was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors, the investment management division of State Street Corporation, an American financial services institute.
The statue was commissioned to advertise an index fund that consists of gender diverse companies that have a relatively high number of women in leadership positions (as for State Street, three out of their twelve board directors are women). The plaque that accompanies the statue reads “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference”, with SHE being the fund’s NASDAQ ticker symbol.