Women have always worked, and yet their economic contributions are often undervalued. Dr. Claudia Goldin wanted to understand why. Her economic history research expands 200 years to provide an account of women’s participation in labor markets over time and describe the history of women’s continuing economic liberation.
The 2023 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences (in Memory of Alfred Nobel) was awarded to Dr. Claudia Goldin, for “for having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes.”
If women do not have the same opportunity to participate in the labour market, or they participate on unequal terms, labour and expertise are wasted. It is economically inefficient for jobs not to go to the most qualified person and, if pay differs for performing the same work, women may be disincentivised to work and have a career. By combining innovative methods in economic history with an economic approach, Goldin has demonstrated that several different factors have historically influenced – and still influence – the supply of and demand for female labour.
Prize announcement. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023
Watch the Presentation:
On November 28 2023, Dr. Rosemarie Fike, an Instructor of Economics at Texas Christian University and a Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute presented a lecture on Dr. Claudia Goldin and her accomplishments to university undergraduates and K-12 educators from around the state. In her lecture, she discussed Goldin’s research and writing including:
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The Quiet Revolution That Transformed Women’s Employment, Education, and Family on the many phases of women’s involvement in the economy
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Why Women Won on how women gained legal financial independence and equal rights
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Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of “Blind” Auditions on Female Musicians that studied discrimination in “blind” audition practices
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Career & Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey to Equity Her book that draws on her vast research knowledge to analyze the experiences of college-educated women in the past and present.
Dr. Rosemarie Fike is the author of the Women & Progress Report series and the host of The Essential Scholars Podcast, The Realities of Socialism Podcast, and Women, Economic Progress & Markets Podcast. Her research focuses on understanding the role that economic institutions play in improving the lives and status of women around the world.
Connections to Arkansas Learning Standards:
Economics:
E.3.ECON.3&4 Analyze the role of consumers and producers in a market economy
E.3.ECON.5 Evaluate intended and unintended consequences of government policies created to improve market outcomes
E.4.ECON.3 Evaluate the impact of advancements in technology, investments in capital goods, and increases in human capital on economic growth and standards of living
U.S. History:
H.5.USH.8 Analyze the social, economic, and political effects of World War II on the American people
H.5.USH.9 Analyze the impact of advances in science and technology during World War II.
H.5.USH.18 Analyze causes and effects of cultural changes on society in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s
Civics:
C.3.CIV.1 Evaluate rights and responsibilities of citizens in the United States using the Bill of Rights and various Supreme Court decisions.
C.3.CIV.8 Examine the amendments to the U.S. Constitution in order to determine how the roles of citizens and the federal and state governments have changed over time
C.3.CIV.10 Assess the effects of civil rights legislation(s) in the United States