Oscar winner Anne Hathaway has a new role to play: the actress has been named a global goodwill ambassador for UN Women, the UN agency working towards gender equality and female empowerment.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said Hathaway will put the spotlight on women’s work at home caring for their families as a key barrier to equality.” Mlambo-Ngcuka commented, “The ‘motherhood penalty’ … is a particularly insidious demonstration of gender inequality in the workplace.” She added, “The appointment of Anne is timely because this year UN Women is driving hard to foster more positive mindsets and practical arrangements around workplaces that build and support equality for women.”

Hathaway’s role will include making the case for parental leaves for mothers and fathers, and accessible childcare services. She said that she is “honored and inspired by this opportunity to aid in advancing gender equality.” Hathaway explained, “Significant progress has already been made, but it is time that we collectively intensify our efforts and ensure that true equality is finally realized.”

Hathaway has plenty of experience promoting the rights of girls and women. She narrated “Girl Rising,” a 2013 CNN doc that emphasized the importance of educating girls. THR writes that Hathaway also “previously served as an advocate for the Nike Foundation, which supports programs to empower adolescent girls in the developing world, and traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia to raise awareness of child marriage.” And Hathaway is known for sounding off about sexism in the media time and time again, perhaps most famously on the “Today Show” in 2012. (Host Matt Lauer made an insensitive, creepy crack about seeing “a lot of” Hathaway lately in the aftermath of a wardrobe malfunction captured on camera. “The Intern” star rued the fact that “we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants.” Now that’s breakfast television!)

Two other Hollywood stars, Nicole Kidman and Emma Watson, both currently serve as goodwill ambassadors for UN Women.

You can catch Hathaway in theaters now in “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”