Claudia Goldin, an American economist and distinguished professor at Harvard, made history on October 5, 2023, by becoming the third woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics,demonstrating the importance of gender-focused economics today. Goldin is recognized for her studies and contributions to understanding the evolution of women's roles in the labor market, the care economy, and glass ceilings.
Goldin has devoted her career to exploring and analyzing the factors influencing women's progress and participation in the labor market, aiming to impact the political and social spheres. Professor Sandra Aguilar, from the Faculty of Economics at Universidad de los Andes, explained in an interview for Blu Radio why Claudia Goldin's recognition is critical: "Addressing gender issues in economics opened the door for women because a woman's participation in the labor market implies, as research shows, that it gives her access to a life free from violence. For example, it increases her bargaining power in the household."
According to Goldin's studies, in the 20th century, women began working outside the home due to the advent of the contraceptive pill and the service economy. This implies that they started earning money, financially contributing to their households, and consequently gaining economic independence and participating in family decisions.
However, this did not mean equality with men: caregiving tasks continue to fall on women, and motherhood remains an obstacle to professional development,as the labor market is incompatible with caregiving responsibilities. It is in this sense that studies like Goldin's are necessary: they allow us to identify the reasons why gender equality has not yet been achieved, in order to subsequently build public policies that promote it.
Sandra Aguilar highlights that, thanks to research such as Goldin's, various countries have taken measures to address gender inequality in the workplace. For example, many governments have created care systems, recognizing childcare as a public good. This addresses the gender pay gap that arises from the birth of the first child. With care systems and policies of shared responsibility, based on this research, the aim is to promote women's participation in public spaces, labor markets, and break glass ceilings.
María del Pilar López-Uribe, a lecturer at Universidad de los Andes, says: "Goldin establishes that at this point in history, women can talk about careers and families because of the path they have taken. This is possible due to four major changes: advances in technology, the skills required by the labor market, the growing demand for jobs, and women's ability to participate in this market, thanks to access to contraceptive pills, laws like divorce, and goods to reduce the burden of domestic work such as washing machines."So, it is worth asking: How is Colombia doing in terms of gender equality in work and care economics?
According to statistics, women still earn less (wage gap) and work more, leading to what is known as the triple shift (when women return home from the office, they continue to work on household chores). According to DANE, employed women "earned 6.3% less than men in 2021 (...) The greatest gaps in average monthly income were reflected in women with low levels of education, rural, widowed, between 45 and 54 years old." Additionally, it is worth mentioning that 20% of Colombia's Gross Domestic Product is is generated by care tasks, which are usually performed by women.
Goldin's research, then, is fundamental in the contemporary debate on the role of women in society. It not only reflects an interest in understanding the current reality of women's conditions in the labor market but also makes proposals with practical solutions and policies that can promote gender equality. Thus, in the quest to reimagine the economy, understanding this type of inequality is essential, as it is one of the most pressing issues today.
It is also important to mention that Goldin's contribution is not limited to academia but has the potential to propose significant changes in the perception and approach to gender inequalities in the labor, economic, political, and social spheres. Furthermore, Claudia Goldin's Nobel Prize represents recognition of the need for an intersectional perspective in the analysis of inequalities. Thus, a focus on caregiving tasks is essential for addressing disparities and allows for a critical stance toward an economic system that does not guarantee equal opportunities for all individuals.
