On March 8, Oscar-winner and U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway gave a speech at the United Nations advocating for paid parental leave. Hathaway, wearing a red ADEAM dress to show solidarity with the Women's Strike, addressed being a first-time parent herself (she had a baby boy last March), how damaging traditional gender roles are to society, and the limitations of the United States' parental leave policy―or lack of: There is currently no federal paid leave policy in the U.S.; some new parents qualify for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave through the Family Medical Leave Act.
"The assumption and common practice that women and girls look after the home and the family is a stubborn and very real stereotype that not only discriminates against women, but limits men's participation and connection with the family," Hathaway said. "The deeper into the issue of paid parental leave I go, the clearer I see the connection between persisting barriers to women's full equality and empowerment, and the need to redefine, and in some cases de-stigmatize, men's role as caregivers. In other words, to liberate women, we need to liberate men."
Watch her full speech below:
