NEW YORK, March 9 (Xinhua) -- New Yorkers have found a new "apple of their eye" -- a bronze statue of a little girl that appeared in front of Wall Street's famous icon "Charging Bull."

The new statue, named "Fearless Girl," was installed by Boston-based investment firm State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) against the backdrop of International Women's Day as a call for more women to serve on corporate boards.

"To mark this effort and the power of women in leadership, SSGA has placed a statue of a young girl, representing the future, in the center of the world's financial capital -- right near Wall Street in New York City," the company said in a press release on Tuesday.

"A key contributor to effective independent board leadership is diversity of thought, which requires directors with different skills, backgrounds and expertise," said Ron O'Hanley, president and chief executive officer of SSGA.

"Today, we are calling on companies to take concrete steps to increase gender diversity on their boards and have issued clear guidance to help them begin to take action," said Ron O'Hanley.

The statue measures some 1.3 meters tall and stands just 6 meters across from the Bull. It displays a girl, hands on hips and holding head high, seemingly defiant of the Bull that has dominated the financial center since 1989.

Stealing the limelight of the Bull, "Fearless Girl" has attracted many visitors and tourists to stop by, take a picture and post it on social media in a way to display their support for women's role in workplace and society.

The statue has a permit to remain for a week, yet SSGA said it is trying to extend it to a month.

"Fearless Girl" is the work by Kristen Visbal, a Delaware artist who has created many bronze sculptures, ranging from sport figures to children and animals.