<
https://theconversation.com/sidelined-no-longer-claudia-goldin-wins-the-2023-nobel-prize-in-economics-for-examining-why-gender-pay-gaps-persist-215339>
"In an astonishing act of timing, Harvard University’s Professor Claudia Goldin
published a paper on Monday titled
Why Women Won. It mapped milestone moments
in women’s rights in the United States from 1905 to 2023.
A few hours later, she was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics “for
having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes”.
Goldin became only the third woman to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic
Sciences, and the first to win it in her own right, not sharing it with a man.
For countless women in economics, and for advocates of gender equality more
broadly, her recognition adds to the milestone moments she has documented in
her own work.
Decades of research have seen Goldin methodically collate data and archival
stories, detective style, to uncover explanations for the rise and fall (and
rise again) of women’s paid employment over the centuries, including:
* the empowering effect of the contraceptive pill
* the removal of legal restrictions on the employment of married women
* the influx of women into higher education
* the shift towards a services economy.
Uncovering reasons for the gender gaps that remain, Goldin has scrutinised
contemporary work culture to identify the unhealthy phenomenon of “greedy work”
in which employers demand excessive hours and 24/7 availability.
This creates a gender divide by penalising those workers – predominantly women
– whose caregiving role collides with excessive employer expectations.
A practical takeaway from Goldin’s research is that gender gaps in economic
outcomes can’t be merely attributed to women’s “choices” or “preferences”.
Her comprehensive account of women’s experiences shows these gender gaps arise
from an interplay of wider factors; among them, societal norms, technological
breakthroughs, institutional structures, and policy settings that push or pull
women’s workforce participation in different directions."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
