Emma Watson receives resounding applause after delivering her speech at the UN headquarters in New York. Photograph by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

Four days ago, UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson delivered a speech introducing her new campaign, “HeForShe”, at the UN headquarters in New York. The campaign aims to eradicate gender inequalities, as well as the negative connotations surrounding the word “feminist”, by imploring men to stand up for gender equality. Some places may suffer from gender inequalities in more serious ways than others, but it does not change the fact that they exist even in the world’s most developed societies. We have heard about the injustices committed against girls and women in cultures very different from our own; however, these seem so far away and intangible that we do not truly understand them. So when Emma shed light on her experiences with sexism as a girl growing up in the UK, it was relatable and it hit home.

Emma’s speech made me think about the gender inequalities in the business world and how they will affect me as I enter the workforce upon graduation. Gender stereotypes implicitly influence society into believing that certain sexes should behave a certain way and that, logically, they will perform a task better. Pay differences between a male and a female, for the same work done, should not still be an issue. Stereotypes should not influence who gets promoted and who does not.

Read her speech here.