U.N. Women Names Anne Hathaway As Goodwill Ambassador

This may be Anne Hathaway's best role yet. On Wednesday, U.N. Women announced its appointment of Hathaway as a global Goodwill Ambassador for the agency. "The appointment of Anne is timely because this year, U.N. Women is driving hard to foster more positive mindsets and practical arrangements around workplaces that build and support equality for women," Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of U.N. Women, said in a statement provided to Refinery29. "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." Mlambo-Ngcuka explained in the statement that Hathaway is an "advocate" who understands the connection between gender equality and issues like parental leave and child care. Hathaway has previously worked to spread awareness about child marriage, and she narrated the 2013 documentary, Girl Rising, about girls' education. Hathaway will work with U.N. women to raise awareness about "the unequal burden of care work in the home," according to the agency's press release. U.N. Women is working to increase access to shared parental leave and affordable child care across the globe. The agency's announcement also stated that including men in the conversation is essential for gender equality. "Consumed by a culture of overwork that penalises them for taking time off for family-care responsibilities, men, too, face dire consequences from our failure to value care," the U.N. Women statement noted.