Although small in stature, the original statue has become a known symbol of female empowerment, since the original rose to global attention after being installed in front of the “charging bull” on Wall Street, New York in 2017.
Reproduced for placement in Federation Square, the bronze statue features a young girl standing defiantly, looking upwards, with her hands on her hips. A stance of power and a reminder of the fight for equal pay and representation for women in the workplace.
Victorian Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said:
“The arrival of our very own Fearless Girl in Victoria is a reminder that we must continue to build a better world for future generations of women – we need to tackle pay gaps, increase the number of women in leadership positions, provide flexible work environments and ensure girls and young women have strong female role models they can look up to.”
Are you feeling Fearless? Delighted to unveil our very own #fearlessgirl, standing strong at Fed Square, inspiring discussion and action. #genderequality pic.twitter.com/9X10nsOG1G
— Gabrielle Williams MP (@GabbyWilliamsMP) February 25, 2019
Maurice Blackburn and partners and industry super funds HESTA and Cbus are behind the unveiling of the statue.
Maurice Blackburn CEO Jacob Varghese said that he hoped Fearless Girl would be a driver of change and provide an impetus for businesses to make gender equality a reality.
“Many workplaces in Australia still have a long way to go in acting on gender equality and the impacts of this don’t stop at work,” Mr Varghese said.
“Issues such as gender pay gaps, fewer workplace leadership opportunities for women and not providing flexible workplaces leads to entrenched inequality that permeates all aspects of Australian society.”
