American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
A Grand Gender Convergence: Its Last Chapter
American Economic Review
vol. 104,
no. 4, April 2014
(pp. 1091–1119)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
The converging roles of men and women are among the grandest advances in society and the economy in the last century. These aspects of the grand gender convergence are figurative chapters in a history of gender roles. But what must the "last" chapter contain for there to be equality in the labor market? The answer may come as a surprise. The solution does not (necessarily) have to involve government intervention and it need not make men more responsible in the home (although that wouldn't hurt). But it must involve changes in the labor market, especially how jobs are structured and remunerated to enhance temporal flexibility. The gender gap in pay would be considerably reduced and might vanish altogether if firms did not have an incentive to disproportionately reward individuals who labored long hours and worked particular hours. Such change has taken off in various sectors, such as technology, science, and health, but is less apparent in the corporate, financial, and legal worlds.Citation
Goldin, Claudia. 2014. "A Grand Gender Convergence: Its Last Chapter." American Economic Review 104 (4): 1091–1119. DOI: 10.1257/aer.104.4.1091Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J30 Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General
- J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
- J33 Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
- N30 Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: General, International, or Comparative