Girls start out so far ahead and then the system lets us down.

For anyone who is still unsure why, in 2016, we need an International Women’s Day, perhaps surprisingly, this ANZ ad might have some answers.

Last year the bank’s marketing team joined forces with award-winning New Zealand director Jane Campion to create a powerful, 90 second film highlighting a little thing called inherent gender bias.

The premise of “Smart Girls” is that girls start out ahead of boys and yet throughout our lives we are systematically discriminated against.

We speak first, read first, our brain’s develop faster, but we are less educated, paid less and given fewer opportunities to succeed.

“The #EqualFuture campaign is designed to highlight the issue of inequality and call out the need for systems to change to better support the success of women,” ANZ marketing director Louise Eyres told Mamamia.

Eyres admits her company is not there yet but hopes that a range of initiatives, not least this campaign, will help.

“We are committed to doing what we can to support gender equality and to help women succeed. ”

So are we.