Claudia Goldin, 75, has been researching unequal pay for men and women for decades.
Image: BBVA Foundation
Why is it that women still earn less than men? For Harvard economist Claudia Goldin, the problem starts at your own doorstep.
Ms. Goldin, in your book “Career and Family” you analyze why women still earn significantly less than men. As the culprit, you identify the “greedy work”. What do you mean by that?
For couples who look after children or older parents, there must always be someone at home “on call” – even if this person works full-time. There are professions in which this on-call service has a major financial disadvantage. These are the greedy jobs: jobs that give you disproportionately more money, if you work long hours, if you agree to be called at any time or to take long trips. If both partners could take greedy jobs, they would both make a lot. But they can’t. You could both take on the more flexible jobs. When the greedy jobs are far more lucrative, however, they are tempted to throw the couple’s equality overboard. And when you’re a straight couple, you’re throwing gender equality overboard.