Anne Hathaway Has Been Named the Newest U.N. Global Goodwill Ambassador

And she'll be promoting women's rights 👊 👊 👊.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Anne Hathaway is taking on a brand-new role, but this time it ain't on a screen. On Wednesday, U.N. Women announced its appointment of Hathaway as a global Goodwill Ambassador for the agency, with a focus on women's rights—specifically on the unpaid care work women do in the home.

"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. "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."

"We needed an advocate who had the intellect and passion to tackle this complex issue. Within moments of meeting Anne, I realized that we had found our woman," she said, according to Reuters.

Hathaway has served as an advocate for the Nike Foundation, traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia to raise awareness about child marriage, and narrated the documentary Girl Rising, which tackled education.

"I feel honored and inspired by this opportunity to aid in advancing gender equality," the actress said in a statement. Here's to more good in the world. You go, Princess Mia Anne.

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Samantha Leal
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Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.