Anne Hathaway on International Women's Day

Summary

In a powerful speech, Anne Hathaway reflects on her personal experiences and highlights the importance of paid parental leave. She discusses her journey as a parent, the challenges faced by working mothers, and the need to liberate both women and men from traditional gender roles. She calls for a global push for gender-neutral parental leave, emphasizing that this will not only support families but also create a more compassionate and equitable society. Hathaway urges institutions and governments to lead by example, advocating for systemic change for future generations.

Takeaways

• 🎬 The speaker began their career as an actress, with memories of commuting with their father from suburban New Jersey to Manhattan for auditions.
• 🧭 The speaker's father helped develop their sense of direction, a lesson that grew in meaning as they navigated adulthood.
• 👶 In 2016, the speaker became a parent and experienced a profound shift in priorities, balancing career with parenthood.
• 🇺🇸 The speaker highlights the limited paid parental leave policies in the United States, where women are entitled to 12 weeks unpaid leave, and men to none.
• 🏠 Many American women return to work within two weeks of childbirth because they can't afford unpaid leave, revealing economic inequality.
• 💼 The concept of the 'motherhood penalty' is addressed, where women are perceived as less dedicated to work and miss out on career advancements.
• 🕴 The speaker emphasizes that gender stereotypes regarding caregiving limit both men and women, advocating for paid parental leave as a means to create equality.
• 🌍 Paid parental leave policies benefit everyone, improving employee retention, productivity, and economic freedom for families, as shown in Sweden.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The speaker advocates for the de-stigmatization of men's roles as caregivers and the importance of fathers spending more time with their children.
• 📢 The speaker calls for global action, urging countries, companies, and institutions to support paid parental leave policies for a more equitable and compassionate world.

Q & A

What childhood memory does the speaker, Anne Hathaway, share to begin her speech?

Anne Hathaway shares a memory of taking the train to meet her father in Manhattan for auditions when she was a young actress. He would ask her which way was north, teaching her a lesson about direction and confidence.

What significant change did Anne Hathaway experience after becoming a parent?

After becoming a parent, Hathaway experienced a shift in consciousness that made her rethink her career priorities, leading her to question how to balance work with her new role as a parent.

What issue does Hathaway highlight regarding the U.S. parental leave policy?

Hathaway highlights that U.S. women are entitled to only 12 weeks of unpaid leave, and men receive no paid parental leave. She points out that this system is economically unsustainable for many families.

What statistic does Hathaway mention about American women and their return to work after childbirth?

Hathaway mentions that 25% of American women return to work just two weeks after giving birth because they cannot afford to take more time off.

How does Hathaway connect the need for paid parental leave with gender equality?

Hathaway argues that paid parental leave is essential for gender equality because it redefines both women's and men's roles in the family. She stresses that liberating women requires liberating men from traditional caregiver stereotypes.

What example does Hathaway give from Sweden regarding the benefits of paternity leave?

Hathaway cites a study from Sweden showing that for every month fathers took paternity leave, the mother's income increased by 6.7%, indicating how paternity leave can contribute to greater economic freedom for families.

What does Hathaway mean by 'maternity leave is a gilded cage'?

Hathaway argues that although maternity leave was created to support women, it often reinforces stereotypes that women are inconvenient for the workplace and emotionally limits men by not including them in caregiving roles.

What global initiative does Hathaway call for in her speech?

Hathaway, alongside UN Women, calls for countries, companies, and institutions globally to become champions for paid parental leave, aiming to create policies that support both men and women in their roles as caregivers.

How does Hathaway link parental leave to broader societal change?

Hathaway argues that paid parental leave helps create a more compassionate society by allowing parents to spend time with their children, changing the way future generations will view gender roles and family dynamics.

What vision for the future does Hathaway present regarding paid parental leave?

Hathaway envisions a future where policies like Danone’s global 18-week gender-neutral paid parental leave set a new standard, expanding to reach millions and transforming how families and workplaces operate worldwide.