Wen | Kang Kai
Source: Caijing MayFlower
On October 9th local time, Harvard University professor Claudia Goldin was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics to enhance understanding of the outcomes of the female labor market.
The award committee stated that she provided the first comprehensive description of women's income and labor market outcomes over the centuries, revealing the main reasons for the changes and the main sources of gender disparities that still exist.
This made Golding the third woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. Previously, Elinor Ostrom and Esther Duflo received this honor.
After winning the award, Golding said in a phone interview, "This is a very important award. Not only for me, but also for many people working in this field. The major issues related to women's rights vary from country to country. Women's education levels have increased significantly, but in many places, their salaries and levels have not improved
In the view of Xia Chun, Chief Economist of Fangde Financial Holding, the Nobel Prize in Economics awarded to Golding was both unexpected and not unexpected. Not surprisingly, Golding's research on women's employment and income inequality is a very important issue in labor economics, so important that it does not even require explanation. Another not surprising thing is that the proportion of female economists has significantly increased. In the past, almost all winners of economics awards were male, so it is necessary to increase the number of female winners.
The unexpected thing is that the Nobel Prize in Economics was not awarded to his husband at the same time, and Golding did a lot of research together with his husband. "Xia Chun further said that in the field of economics, there are still many people who have made more important contributions than Golding, and they still need to continue to wait.
01
Detective Golding
Golding is an economic historian and labor economist. Currently, she is Henry Lee Chair Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the first woman in the economics department to receive a tenured teaching position. Her research covers multiple themes including female labor force, income gender gap, income inequality, technological change, education, and immigration.
In 1946, Golding was born in New York, United States. He served as the Director of the US Economic Development Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and co director of the NBER Gender and Economy Group. She had hoped to become an archaeologist or microbiologist as a child. Until she entered Cornell University, she discovered the world beyond the microscope.
She has written numerous papers and books, including "Understanding Gender Gap: The Economic History of American Women" (1990), "Corruption and Reform: Lessons from American Economic History" (2006), and "Women Working Longer Hours: Increasing Employment in the Elderly" (2018). Her latest book is "Career or Family? Women's Centennial Journey towards Equality" published in 2021.
Just before winning the award this month, Golding published an article titled "Why Did Women Win. This article analyzes how, when, and why American women have obtained equal legal rights with men in multiple settings.
It can be seen that gender issues have always been an area of concern for Golding. She stated that for decades, she has never given up her interest in exploring gender topics, especially surname changes that have become social signals, discrimination theories, the history of coeducation, and the "silent revolution
This also became a source of inspiration for her research. Golding studied data over the past 200 years, tracking the changes in the fate of women in the evolution of the workplace from farms to factories to offices. With continuous accumulation, her historical research on women in the American economy has matured and is widely praised in the economic community.
I study various long-term trends in the labor market from an economic perspective, including the general economy and political economy. It has been proven that the most important change in the labor market in all countries is the transition of women from families to the market, "she said in an interview.
Golding's research shows that although gender issues have made some progress in narrowing the gap in the past few decades, there is almost no evidence to suggest that the gap will be completely eliminated soon.
She attributes this gap to multiple factors. In his book "Career or Family" published in 2021, Golding described jobs in high paying industries such as consulting, finance, and law as "greedy jobs". In her opinion, high income comes with long-term, on-demand work. Generally speaking, employees in the above-mentioned industries often need to respond to the demands of customers or bosses at any time, sacrificing care for sick children, participating in family activities such as football matches or concerts.
Among them, the lack of controllability is the most critical part. In most couples with higher education, careers, and children, the woman is a professional on call at home, while the man is a professional on call at the office. In a family, a person works in a job with high flexibility and low income. The other person is engaged in a job with less flexibility and higher income. Therefore, the man's income is higher than the woman's.
It is worth noting that in the above studies, the occupations and incomes of women during certain periods are often not recorded. In the view of Randi Hjalmarsson, an expert on the Nobel Prize Committee in Economics, this forced Golding to become a "detective".
02
The Significance of Gender Differences Research
In Xia Chun's view, the reason why Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize is that the issue of women's employment and income gap he studied is a very important issue in labor economics, and this importance does not even need to be explained.
Data shows that globally, 50% of women engage in paid work, while the proportion of men is 80%. Among developed economies, this gap is relatively small. In these developed economies, women's average income is 13% lower than men's, and they are less likely to hold senior positions in the institutions they work for.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center, in the United States, the average income of women in 2022 was 82% of that of men.
In the view of the Nobel Prize Committee in Economics, the significance of Golding's award lies in the significant social impact of her research. People can pave a better path forward through her research, although her research results have not become the basis for policy conclusions.
Golding won the award and was praised by his peers. Claudia Olivetti from Dartmouth University is a co author of Golding's works. She stated that Golding's research has influenced many current studies on women and the labor market, and this situation continues to this day.
Golding has always been a source of inspiration for many women in economics. She generously shared her experiences and demonstrated the possibility of success in a male dominated world, "Olivetti wrote in an email.
Professor Leah Boustan from Princeton University was a former student of Golding. She said, "The first thing that came to my mind when Golding won the award was that her research still had significant implications for current work. Her students are still delving into how marriage and labor market decisions interact
Golding stated in an interview that she hopes people can understand the importance of long-term changes in understanding the labor market from her works. We see remnants of history around us, where the social and family structures in which women and men grow shape their behavior and economic outcomes. Unless we also achieve marital equality, we will never achieve gender equality, "she said.
Xia Chun also stated that another major significance of Golding's award lies in the increasing status of women in the economic community. In the past, almost all the winners of economics awards were male, so it is necessary to increase the number of female winners. Golding is the oldest known female economist (77 years old) and the first female professor in the economics department of Harvard University to receive a tenured teaching position, so her award is also widely expected by everyone in the industry, "he said.
The Clark Prize, also known as the "Little Nobel Prize" in economics, is an example. Before 2007, none of the 29 winners were female economists. But out of the 16 winners since 2007, 5 female economists have already won awards.
At present, women have an increasing advantage in conducting economic research. Although they do not pursue very difficult theoretical innovations, they are very focused and willing to use data to verify or refute existing theories, "Xia Chun said.
(The author is a journalist from Caijing)
Title source | Nobel Prize official website
Layout Editor | Li Haoyu