Harvard University’s Claudia Goldin has been honored with the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for her groundbreaking research on the role of women in labor markets. IZA extends its heartfelt congratulations to Goldin, who has been a member of the global IZA research network since 2011.
Simon Jäger, Director of IZA, describes the award for Claudia Goldin as “outstanding and well-deserved.” According to Jäger, the prize recognizes the life and work of a researcher who has produced groundbreaking insights into the working world of the last 200 years, especially the role women play in the labor market and how this role has evolved.
Goldin has explored, for example, “how the participation of women in the workforce developed during industrialization and thereafter.” Recently, she has examined the roles of discrimination, social norms, and flexibility in relation to the persistent gender pay gap. Goldin has been able to clearly document this using historical data, “which she tracked down in a kind of detective work,” says Jäger.
The awarding of the Nobel Prize to Claudia Goldin not only acknowledges her outstanding contributions but also serves as a reminder of the importance of her research in unraveling the complexities of gender dynamics in the labor market.
In 2016, Claudia Goldin had already received the IZA Prize in Labor Economics. Her upcoming IZA Prize book, “An Evolving Force – A History of Women in the Economy,” will provide further insights into her impactful work.