Economics Nobel Prize goes to Claudia
Goldin, an expert on women at work

Scott Horsley-NPR
October 9, 2023

Harvard University’s Claudia Goldin has won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics for her research on women in the labor market. She studies the changing role of working women through the centuries, and the causes of the persistent pay gap between men and women.

The award — formally known as The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel — comes with a prize of 11 million kronor, or about $1 million. Goldin is the third woman to receive the prize.

“Claudia Goldin’s discoveries have vast society implications,” said Randi Hjalmarsson, a member of the Nobel committee. “She has shown us that the nature of this problem or the source of these underlying gender gaps changes throughout history and with the course of development.”

Goldin’s research showed that women’s role in the job market has not moved in a straight line, but has waxed and waned in line with social norms and women’s own ideas about their prospects in the workplace and the home. Some of these ideas are shaped early in life and are slow to change.

“She can explain why the gender gap suddenly started to close in the 1980s and the surprising role of the birth control pill and changing expectation,” Hjalmarsson said. “And she can explain why the earnings gap has stopped closing today and the role of parenthood.”

Tracing the history of women in the workplace was easier said than done. The Nobel committee said Goldin often had to contend with spotty records.

Gender pay gap remains

Women currently fill nearly half the jobs in the U.S. but typically earn less. They briefly outnumbered men on payrolls in late 2019 and early 2020, but women dropped out of the workforce in large numbers early in the pandemic, and their ranks have only recently recovered.

In a 2021 interview with NPR, Goldin offered a recipe for narrowing the pay gap between men and women: more government funding of child care and more jobs in which people could share duties rather than what she termed “greedy jobs”.

“The solution isn’t a simple one, but part of it is reducing the value of these ‘greedy jobs,’ getting jobs in which individuals are very good substitutes for each other and can trade off,” she said. “And I know there are people who will tell me this is impossible. But in fact, it’s done in obstetrics. It’s done in anesthesiology. It’s done in pediatrics. It’s done in veterinary medicine. It’s done in various banking decisions. And if it can be done in all of that with all the amazing IT that we have, we could probably do it elsewhere as well. “

Some forecasters think women’s role in the workplace will continue to grow as they surpass men on college campuses and as service-oriented fields such as health care expand.

“Understanding women’s role in labor is important for society,” said Jakob Svensson, chair of the prize committee. “Thanks to Claudia Goldin’s groundbreaking research, we now know much more about the underlying factors and which barriers may need to be addressed in the future.”

Evers slams protest at Pride event

MADISON – Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is condemning a hate group’s use of Nazi salutes and swastikas to protest a peaceful LGBTQ+ Pride event in Watertown over the weekend.

Photos from Saturday’s ‘Pride in the Park’ event depict a dozen men dressed in black tops and khaki pants brandishing semi-automatic rifles. The group waved flags with swastikas on them and hurled homophobic language at people gathered for the LGBTQ+ event, the Watertown Daily News reported.

‘This is a disgusting and direct attack on our state’s LGBTQ community, communities of color, and Jewish Wisconsinites,’ Evers said in a statement Monday. ‘Nazis, swastikas, and any other anti-LGBTQ, white supremacist, or anti-Semitic messages, symbols or groups are unacceptable and unwelcome in Wisconsin. Period.’

Rep. Barbara Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, was criticized over the weekend after she appeared to not condemn the hate group in since-deleted posts on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. She updated the posts to say she later learned of the neo-Nazis’ presence. ‘How shamefully far things have descended in our communities between sexualizing kids & disturbing hate groups,’ she said.

Rick Esenberg, the president and chief counsel of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, defended Dittrich in a tweet, saying that criticizing the event does not equate to supporting the neo-Nazi group.

Dittrich put out a statement Monday afternoon saying she was unaware of the hate group’s presence and hopes ‘the community can heal from this entire incident that was upsetting to many people of a variety of beliefs.’

‘At the time of my original statement, I was unaware that there were masked members of a known hate group that were also protesting and intimidating people with vile language. I find that loathsome, disgusting, and condemned it the minute I learned of it. One can both find adult performances unsuitable for children at the same time they find hate groups to be vile,’ she said.

In his statement, Evers said the group’s behavior should be condemned by elected officials, including ‘those who continue to push radical rhetoric, divisive legislation and litigation, and falsehoods and disinformation about the LGBTQ community — those words, those actions, and those policies have real and harmful consequences.’

Dittrich joined Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, earlier this month to introduce a pair of bills that would bar transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports at every grade level and in college. She proposed similar measures in 2021 that passed the Assembly but not the Senate.

High school and collegiate sports officials at the time said the bill would directly affect very few — if any — athletes.

LGBTQ+ advocates worry requirements for students to participate in sports based on their sex assigned at birth could result in real harm to transgender children and young adults by sending a message that they have different rights.

LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin disproportionately suffer from mental health challenges. According to the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health’s 2022 annual report, LGBTQ+ youth ‘seriously considered’ suicide at a rate 2.5 times higher than the entire youth population.

AAUW Wisconsin Women Pay It Forward

Dousman, WI— AAUW (American Association of University Women) has a long history advancing education for women and Wisconsin continues to raise and sponsor over $200,000 per year in scholarship monies.

AAUW’s story began in 1881, when a small group of female college graduates banded together to open the doors for women’s career advancement and to encourage more women to pursue higher education. It was founded through the efforts of Marion Talbot and Ellen Swallow Richards.

AAUW’s founding marked one of the first organized efforts to advance opportunities for women to pursue higher education and careers – equal with men. The early years offered women a way to unite as a source of strength, support and power. To that end, AAUW launched one of the most enduring fellowship programs for women in the world and commissioned ground-breaking research that documented women’s abilities and value, hence gender equity. The first fellowship ($350) was awarded in 1888 to Ida Street, a pioneer in the field of early American Indian history.

AUW Wisconsin started in 1921. In keeping with this tradition, AAUW-WI continues to make significant contributions to both NCCWSL (National Collegiate Conference for Women Student Leaders) and Higher Education Scholarships  with over $210,000 given by collective Branches.  AAUW-WI also allocates $5000 per year for NCCWSL scholarships with contributions from 3 State Branches.

Over half of AAUW-WI 22 Branches have nominated students for the State NCCWSL scholarships, and funded local scholarship recipients. Fifteen percent allocated funds to assist with travel. In terms of Higher Education Scholarships, 3/4 of Branches provide scholarships to students attending both technical colleges and 4-year colleges and universities.

Moving forward AAUW-WI and Branches plan to continue their efforts to foster equity in education and opportunity for women and girls, playing a vital role in enhancing the lives and future of all.  For further information about NCCWSL scholarship opportunities or to learn more about AAUW:  https://aauw-wi.aauw.net/

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The American Association of University Women (AAUW) empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and 800 college and university partners.

Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. Learn more and join us at www.aauw.org.