Conclusion

Goldin’s work has helped to explain why women have been under-represented in the labour market for at least
the past two centuries, and why even today they continue to earn less than men on average (by around 13%,
according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Claudia Goldin has contributed much to the field of economics and beyond. As recognized by her 2023 Nobel
Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, her lifetime historical research and economic analysis has helped shape
how we understand the gender pay gap and what factors contributed to women’s participation in the American
labor market over different periods of time.

One of the major impacts of Goldin’s Nobel Prize-winning work is that she provided a different explanation for
the gender pay gap. Previously, the gap could be explained by gendered differences in educational and
occupational choices. Goldin’s work demonstrates that much of the difference in earnings currently is between
women and men working in the same occupation, and that the gap in earnings usually arises when a woman
gives birth to her first child.

Thank you.