Closing the Gender Pay Gap
Exploring the Role of Motherhood and Greedy Jobs
Introduction
The gender pay gap has long been a topic of concern and debate. Despite progress in reducing this gap, significant disparities persist between men and women in terms of earnings. To truly understand why women tend to earn less than men, we must examine various factors, including the role of motherhood and the prevalence of “greedy jobs.” In this article, we will delve into the research of esteemed economist Claudia Goldin, winner of the 2023 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, and explore how certain societal norms and job structures contribute to the gender pay gap.
The Impact of Discrimination
Discrimination against women in the workplace is a widely recognized barrier to achieving gender equality. Goldin’s research, together with Cecilia Rouse, sheds light on this issue through an examination of major American orchestras. By introducing blind auditions, where job applicants perform behind a screen, these orchestras witnessed a significant increase in the acceptance of women. This finding highlights the existence of absolute discrimination that hinders women from receiving equal opportunities and fair compensation.
The Influence of Career Choices and Fertility Control
The choices women make regarding their careers can also contribute to the gender pay gap. Historically, limited access to birth control pills for single women in the United States influenced their career decisions. Many professions, such as law, medicine, dentistry, and administration, were predominantly male-dominated during the 1960s. The potential uncertainty and financial risks associated with pursuing these careers discouraged young women who could potentially become mothers. However, Goldin and her colleague, Lawrence Katz, discovered that the liberalization of birth control access in the 1970s led to an influx of young women pursuing these courses. By empowering women to have more control over their fertility, the birth control pill allowed them to invest in their careers.
The Gap Between Mothers and Non-Mothers
Goldin’s research suggests that a significant portion of the gender pay gap is better described as a gap between mothers and non-mothers. This distinction arises due to the presence of certain jobs labeled as “greedy jobs.” These greed jobs often offer higher salaries but require long, unpredictable working hours. Additionally, they demand absolute dedication without room for personal commitments or responsibilities. When women assume the primary caregiver role for their children, the demands of these greedy jobs become even more challenging to balance. As a result, many women are forced to choose between their career ambitions and family obligations, perpetuating the gender pay gap.
Redefining Gender Roles and Job Design
Breaking the cycle of the gender pay gap requires redefining traditional gender roles and reevaluating job design. Couples in highly educated and employable partnerships often make a mutual agreement where one partner, often the woman, assumes the unpaid work of parenting, alongside potentially more flexible paid work. In contrast, the other partner, often the man, pursues the well-paid, demanding jobs. This division reinforces a societal expectation that the mother should prioritize childcare and emergencies, while the father focuses on his career.
However, there are alternative possibilities. Couples could opt for hiring a live-in nanny, another demanding job, to share the responsibilities of parenting. Alternatively, both partners could pursue flexible jobs that prioritize family life. Yet, both of these options come with their own set of challenges and expenses. It is vital to recognize that the highest-paying jobs are often the most demanding and difficult to balance with family responsibilities.
Greedy Jobs vs. Non-Greedy Jobs
Goldin draws a stark comparison between jobs categorized as “greedy” and those considered non-greedy. Greedy jobs, such as corporate lawyers, investment bankers, or high-level executives, offer high salaries but demand immense commitment and long, unpredictable hours. These jobs are typically incompatible with fulfilling the role of the primary caregiver for children. In contrast, non-greedy jobs, exemplified by pharmacists, offer good pay and more flexibility. Pharmacists often work in teams where individuals can be substituted if needed, allowing for a more balanced work-life integration.
The Need for Job Design Changes
A significant challenge lies in transforming more jobs into non-greedy roles. This transformation requires deliberate effort and attention to create job structures that prioritize work-life balance. Mechanisms such as standardized processes, effective workflow systems, and proper task assignment and monitoring can enable employees to work in non-greedy conditions. Implementing such changes not only benefits employees but also fosters better teamwork, reduces burnout, and enhances overall productivity.
Yet, it is essential to acknowledge that the individuals occupying positions of power and influence often overlook the importance of making these changes. The transformative potential of the COVID-19 pandemic on working practices offers hope. The shift towards remote work and flexible arrangements prompted by the pandemic could pave the way for more significant progress in achieving gender equality. However, whether these changes will be lasting or temporary remains uncertain.
Conclusion
Closing the gender pay gap necessitates a multi-faceted approach. While discrimination remains a formidable obstacle, addressing the role of motherhood and the prevalence of greedy jobs is equally crucial. By redefining traditional gender roles, implementing job design changes, and fostering greater flexibility and balance, we can strive towards achieving gender equality. It is up to individuals, employers, and policymakers to recognize the importance of these changes and actively work towards a fairer and more inclusive society.
Summary
The gender pay gap persists, and understanding its complexities requires an examination of various factors. Discrimination, career choices influenced by limited access to birth control, and the prevalence of demanding “greedy jobs” contribute to the disparity. The role of motherhood further complicates the issue, as many jobs are inherently difficult to balance with caregiving responsibilities. Redefining gender roles and job design can alleviate these challenges and promote greater work-life balance. However, creating lasting change requires a collective effort from individuals, employers, and policymakers to eradicate discrimination and foster a more equitable society.
—————————————————-
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| 90’s Rock Band Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Nature’s Secret to More Energy | View |
| Ancient Recipe for Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| You Need a VPN in 2023 – Liberty Shield | View |
Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
FT editor Roula Khalaf selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Why do women still tend to earn less than men? There is no one better placed to answer that question than the economic historian. Claudia Goldinwinner of the 2023 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. His answer tells us how to fight injustice, but also how to create healthier, more productive working lives for everyone.
Let’s point out some obvious explanations, all of which play a role. There is absolute discrimination, something Goldin examined with Cecilia Rouse in a famous study of major American orchestras. As those orchestras began asking job applicants to audition behind a screen, the proportion of women who were accepted increased dramatically.
Then there’s the question of what career options make sense for someone who might become pregnant. In the 1960s, the birth control pill was not widely available to single women in the United States. In 1970, law, medicine, dentistry and administration careers were completely dominated by men. No wonder: investing in such a profession seemed expensive and risky for a young woman who could suddenly become a young mother.
Goldin and her colleague (and spouse) Lawrence Katz showed that when US states liberalized access to the birth control pill during the 1970s, young women flocked to these courses. By giving women unprecedented control over their fertility, the birth control pill allowed them to invest in their careers.
For many women, however, the pill is not a method of completely preventing motherhood, but rather a way of delaying it until a more convenient time. Which brings us to today. Goldin’s research suggests that much of the gap between men and women is more appropriately described as a gap between mothers and non-mothers.
The reason? There are certain jobs – “greedy jobs” – that often pay very well but require long, unpredictable hours. (Goldin did not coin the term. It was first used by sociologists Lewis Coser and Rose Laub Coser, a married couple. He used the idea to describe institutions that “seek exclusive and undivided loyalty”; she used it to describe the demands of maternity.)
So what is a greedy job? If you may need to work late, take work phone calls over the weekend, or travel to Singapore for a meeting, all without notice and with the absolute assumption that nothing else will stand in the way of you doing so, then you have a greedy job. If you are also the primary caregiver for the children, then, as Rose Laub Coser understood, that is also a greedy job, possibly greedier than ever. And it’s in the nature of greedy jobs that you can only have one of them at a time.
A common agreement among highly educated, employable heterosexual couples is, then, that one of them (often the woman) takes on the covetous unpaid work of parenting, perhaps alongside more flexible paid work, while the other (often the man) takes on the greedy, well-paid job of corporate lawyer, investment banker, or high-level executive.
There is nothing inevitable about this. The couple could hire a live-in nanny – another greedy job. Or you could both work in flexible jobs where the expectation is that family comes first. But both options come with a high price tag, as the highest-paying jobs tend to be greedy. As Goldin says in his book Career and family (2021), “As college graduates find life partners and begin planning families, in the starkest terms they face a choice between a marriage of equals and a marriage with more money.”
The couple could change gender norms, with the woman working unpredictable hours and hopping on flights to Singapore, while the man is the one who picks up and drops off everything at school when there is an emergency. Apart from a few weeks around the time of birth, that is perfectly possible. But it’s still unusual, so you’ll both spend time explaining yourself.
To do? We can all question the assumption that it is the mother who must plan childcare and deal with emergencies so that her spouse can focus on her greedy work. But we must also ask ourselves why so many jobs remain greedy. Goldin contrasts lawyers with pharmacists. Law is an essentially greedy job, and the biggest profit comes when you are a partner in a law firm, a job that is not compatible with being the person who drops everything when a child falls off a swing in the schoolyard. .
On the contrary, as a pharmacist you can be paid very well, although many pharmacists have non-greedy jobs. In the United States, more than half of pharmacists are women and the gender pay gap among pharmacists is minimal. This, Goldin says, is a matter of job design: Pharmacists work in teams and are substitutable with each other. If someone is not available to work, another person can replace them.
Why aren’t more jobs designed like this? It takes effort and attention to create replaceable jobs. Processes must be standardized and excellent records maintained; Tasks assigned and monitored using a proper workflow system rather than everyone turning to email to figure out who’s in charge. These better systems not only allow the best workers to operate in non-greedy conditions, but they also allow for better teamwork and less burnout. However, the people with the power to make these changes have not yet considered it worthwhile.
My hope, and Goldin’s as well, is that the impact the pandemic caused on working practices around the world will help unlock better systems, leading to greater progress in gender equality and many other benefits. But she is a historian, she does not guess. We must wait and see. Or we must fight for the changes we want.
Tim Harford’s new children’s book, “The Truth Detective” (Wren & Rook), is now available
Continue @FTMag to find out first about our latest stories
—————————————————-