Girl power meets Wall Street bull

A statue of a defiant little girl was placed in front of Wall Street's Charging Bull to challenge the 'traditionally male environment' of the industry, on International Women's Day.

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IMAGE: A statue of a girl facing the Wall Street Bull is seen, as part of a campaign by US fund manager State Street to push companies to put women on their boards. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters.

Girls rule!

The bronze statue, entitled ‘Fearless Girl’, has been installed on the occasion of International Women’s Day by State Street Global Advisors, the world’s third-largest asset manager.

'Know the power of women in leadership', reads a small plaque on the cobblestones near the statue’s feet. 'SHE makes a difference.'

IMAGE: The Fearless Girl is symbolic of International Women's Day when women are encouraged to take off work and not spend money in a show of economic force. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters.

The project was arranged as a message to their fellow Wall Street entities: Hire more women.

“We are calling on companies to take concrete steps to increase gender diversity on their boards,” said SSGA President and CEO Ron O’Hanley in a statement.

As part of the campaign, the asset manager also plans to vote against boards if a company does not take steps to increase the number of female employees.

IMAGE: The statue soon caught eyeballs with people gathering around the installation. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters.

The bronze sculpture has been created by American artist Kristen Visbal.

Visbal was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying: 'Wall Street is a traditionally male environment and it says, ‘Hey, we’re here’.

'To me, it says a woman can be delicate and petite, but strong.'

IMAGE: A woman poses next to the statue of the girl facing the Wall Street Bull. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters.

Incidentally, India ranks 26th globally in terms of presence of women in boardrooms. The overall percentage of women in Indian boardrooms is merely 6.91 per cent. This is in contrast to the widely acknowledged trendsetter, Norway, where women directors make up nearly 40 per cent of its boardrooms.

The night-time instillation of the sculpture evoked the installation of the bull itself. In 1989, artist Arturo Di Modica installed the bull in lower Manhattan in the middle of the night as a symbol of New York’s toughness after the 1987 stock market crash.

IMAGE: The statue's artist Kristen Visbal said: "Wall Street is a traditionally male environment and it says, 'Hey, we’re here.' To me, it says a woman can be delicate and petite, but strong."