Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard University, received the Nobel economics prize on Monday for her contributions in enhancing our comprehension of the gender disparity within the job market.
Hans Ellegren, the secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, announced that Goldin is the third woman to win the prize.
“Understanding women’s role in the labour market is important for society. Thanks to Claudia Goldin’s groundbreaking research, we now know much more about the underlying factors and which barriers may need to be addressed in the future,” said Jakob Svensson, chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences.
Randi Hjalmarsson, a member of the prize committee, stated that Goldin’s research provides policymakers with the means to address the persistent problem, although it does not provide specific solutions.
No single workplace policy
“She explains the source of the gap, and how it’s changed over time and how it varies with the stage of development. And therefore, there is no single policy,” Hjalmarsson said. “So it’s a complicated policy question because if you don’t know the underlying reason, a certain policy won’t work.”
Hjalmarsson mentioned that by correctly identifying and comprehending the problem, we can find a better solution. He also acknowledged Goldin’s findings and their significant impact on society.
Goldin, aged 77, expressed surprise and immense joy upon receiving the award, according to Ellegren.
Last week, the awards in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, and peace were announced, and now this follows.
The Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, also known as the economics award, was established by Sweden’s central bank in 1968.
Last year’s winners were former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip Dybvig for their research into bank failures that helped shape America’s aggressive response to the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Out of the 92 individuals recognized with economics laureates, only two of them are women.
Katalin Kariko, a Hungarian-American, and Drew Weissman from the United States were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine last week. On Tuesday, the physics prize was given to Anne L’Huillier from France and Sweden, Pierre Agostini from France, and Ferenc Krausz, originally from Hungary.
Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus, and Alexei Ekimov, American scientists, were announced as the winners of the chemistry prize on Wednesday. Jon Fosse, a Norwegian writer, received the literature prize. On Friday, Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist currently in jail, was granted the peace prize.
The awards are given out during December in Oslo and Stockholm at ceremonies. They come with a cash prize of 11 million Swedish kronor (equivalent to approximately $1.38 million Canadian dollars). Additionally, recipients are presented with an 18-carat gold medal and a diploma.
Source: cbc.ca
