Monday, December 13, 2021

Working remotely may lessen income inequality between men and women: Claudia Goldin in the WSJ

 Here's Claudia Goldin in the WSJ, on how income inequality between men and women may be lessened by the growth of remote work. (She argues that women pay a price for flexible hours, since the highest paying jobs are "greedy" for long and on-call work.)

How the Pandemic Could Make the Future Brighter for Women in the Workplace. It could lead to less gender inequality at work, and more equity at home By Claudia Goldin Dec. 11, 2021

"Whereas the job with flexible hours paid far less than the greedy job before the pandemic, previously greedy jobs are now more flexible and the previously flexible jobs are now more productive. The working couple with children can now have a more equitable household without giving up as much income. The on-call parent will be able to compete for the previously greedy job, and employers will expand the previously flexible jobs, because these jobs have become more productive. As a result, the difference between the wages of the previously greedy and previously flexible jobs will narrow.

"Consider the mergers-and-acquisition work that once had to be done in Tokyo, or the contract that needed to be signed in Zurich. They actually don’t need to be done in person, we have learned. The on-call, at-home parent, generally the mother, hadn’t been able to do these transactions. But now they can be accomplished without being away during the evening and without flying across an ocean. The flexible job has become more productive and the greedy job has become more flexible."

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