The researchers of the WeLaR project are delighted to see Professor Claudia Goldin win the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for her ground-breaking work on female employment and the factors influencing gender disparities in the labour market.
“This is fantastic news and a clear acknowledgement of the progress that economic science has made in understanding gender inequalities, gender gaps, and labour market discrimination, especially in tandem with historical analysis,” said WeLaR researcher Cristiano Perugini from the University of Perugia.
In her research, Professor Goldin has demonstrated how a multitude of factors affect the supply of and demand for female labour. They include women’s opportunities for combining paid work and a family; decisions related to education and childcare; technological advancements; legal and societal norms; and shifts in the economic landscape. Her findings have deepened our understanding of the root causes behind differences in employment rates and pay between women and men.
“While Goldin’s scholarly contributions rarely engage with normative issues geared toward policy formulation, they consistently underscore the need to meticulously examine the specific historical, societal, technological, and cultural elements that delineate individuals and organisations act,” Perugini adds.
Goldin’s work has had a profound impact on WeLaR’s research agenda. Rather than solely concentrating on gender in our analysis of inequalities, we explore how global trends impact gender differences in various contexts. For example, we investigate whether female workers face a higher risk of job loss due to automation, and examine which income support policies protect women workers from the adverse effects of digitalisation.
