0:00:00.081,0:00:02.045 - [Claudia] When you do[br]economic research, 0:00:02.520,0:00:05.648 you have three pieces. 0:00:05.648,0:00:07.348 I think of them as balls 0:00:07.348,0:00:10.610 that I want floating up[br]all the time. 0:00:10.610,0:00:12.272 I'm juggling them, 0:00:12.632,0:00:15.850 and one of them is the idea. 0:00:15.850,0:00:17.647 I have to begin with[br]"What's the question, 0:00:17.647,0:00:19.327 what's important?" 0:00:19.327,0:00:20.838 ♪ [music] ♪ 0:00:20.838,0:00:22.139 - [Narrator] Economists -- 0:00:22.139,0:00:26.099 not a group with a lot[br]of Marys, Natashas, or Juanitas, 0:00:26.099,0:00:28.682 and that's caused[br]a lot of controversy. 0:00:28.682,0:00:32.548 However, what's often overlooked[br]are the actual female economists 0:00:32.548,0:00:36.323 who are pushing economics forward[br]by addressing real-world issues. 0:00:36.881,0:00:39.679 Welcome to Women in Economics. 0:00:45.049,0:00:47.226 - [Ilyana] One thing I definitely[br]learned from Claudia 0:00:47.226,0:00:49.950 is to approach economic[br]research like a detective. 0:00:49.950,0:00:52.684 I think, especially, when working[br]in economic history, 0:00:52.684,0:00:55.748 when you can't just download[br]a cleaned-up dataset, 0:00:56.372,0:00:59.517 you really have to go searching,[br]open dusty boxes 0:00:59.517,0:01:01.269 and look under rocks. 0:01:03.771,0:01:07.215 - [Lawrence] She is the consummate[br]economic historian. 0:01:07.215,0:01:09.666 She has been[br]the innovator and pioneer 0:01:09.666,0:01:13.216 on bringing economic logic,[br]and historical and better data, 0:01:13.216,0:01:16.881 to understanding[br]women's role in the economy. 0:01:16.881,0:01:19.784 And then she is a fantastic[br]labor economist, 0:01:19.784,0:01:23.200 who had been a leader in work[br]on understanding inequality. 0:01:26.516,0:01:30.413 - [Narrator] Claudia Dale Goldin[br]was born in 1946 in the Bronx. 0:01:31.184,0:01:33.515 She was a problem-solver[br]from the beginning. 0:01:34.506,0:01:36.899 As a child, she avoided[br]the New York City heat 0:01:36.899,0:01:39.790 by spending her summer days[br]playing cards or reading 0:01:39.790,0:01:41.839 in air-conditioned[br]department stores. 0:01:42.583,0:01:43.800 And while she always knew 0:01:43.800,0:01:46.733 she wanted to be[br]a scientist of some kind, 0:01:46.733,0:01:49.239 she wasn't always set on economics. 0:01:50.517,0:01:51.965 - [Dev] She'll tell stories to me 0:01:51.965,0:01:54.898 about when she first went[br]to the Natural History Museum, 0:01:54.898,0:01:56.400 when she was living in the Bronx, 0:01:56.400,0:01:58.023 and fell in love with mummies 0:01:59.168,0:02:02.169 and thought that archeology[br]was going to be her passion. 0:02:02.598,0:02:04.567 But then she discovered[br]microbiology, 0:02:04.567,0:02:07.353 and she suddenly realized[br]that microscopes uncovered 0:02:07.353,0:02:10.333 a whole new world[br]of discovery for her. 0:02:10.333,0:02:13.750 It wasn't until she actually went[br]to college at Cornell 0:02:13.750,0:02:16.202 that she first got introduced[br]to economics. 0:02:16.765,0:02:19.049 - [Claudia] I decided[br]to become an economist 0:02:19.049,0:02:21.683 because I took an economics class 0:02:21.683,0:02:25.084 from an amazing person[br]named Fred Kahn. 0:02:25.084,0:02:30.517 He was so excited about the field[br]of industrial organization 0:02:30.517,0:02:33.449 and product markets and regulation 0:02:33.449,0:02:35.585 that it was infectious. 0:02:36.034,0:02:39.101 And in fact, when I went[br]to graduate school 0:02:39.101,0:02:40.434 at the University of Chicago, 0:02:40.434,0:02:43.846 I went there to study[br]Industrial Organization. 0:02:45.900,0:02:48.216 - [Narrator] Under[br]the mentorship of Bob Fogel, 0:02:48.216,0:02:51.382 Claudia studied[br]American Economic History, 0:02:51.382,0:02:55.933 particularly the economics of slavery[br]and the post-Civil War South. 0:02:55.933,0:02:57.934 She had to travel[br]to some southern states 0:02:57.934,0:03:00.981 to gather archival materials[br]for this research. 0:03:00.981,0:03:04.320 Goldin didn't approach this trip[br]like a traditional economist. 0:03:04.833,0:03:06.617 - [Lawrence] She thought[br]what I should do 0:03:06.617,0:03:09.915 is hitchhike between[br]the different cities in the South. 0:03:09.915,0:03:12.067 She met some woman[br]from one of the archives 0:03:12.067,0:03:13.529 who let her stay at their place, 0:03:13.529,0:03:14.951 and when she came back, 0:03:14.951,0:03:18.468 her advisor asked her for a list[br]of the receipts and expenses 0:03:18.468,0:03:19.749 associated with the trip, 0:03:19.749,0:03:21.395 and she had no clue 0:03:21.395,0:03:24.167 that you were supposed[br]to actually stay in hotels 0:03:24.167,0:03:25.867 and pay for actual travel 0:03:25.867,0:03:27.883 and that you could[br]get reimbursed for this. 0:03:27.883,0:03:31.419 But in fact, by actually staying[br]with the archivist 0:03:31.419,0:03:33.737 and getting access[br]to archives and knowledge 0:03:33.740,0:03:35.008 that you wouldn't have had, 0:03:35.008,0:03:37.799 it probably created inroads[br]and understanding 0:03:37.799,0:03:39.201 that wouldn't have been possible 0:03:39.201,0:03:41.389 if you were going through[br]usual channels. 0:03:42.451,0:03:45.400 - [Narrator] She continued[br]to focus on economic history, 0:03:45.400,0:03:46.833 exploring such questions 0:03:46.833,0:03:50.701 as why the North and South[br]had such different economic outcomes 0:03:50.701,0:03:52.346 after the Civil War. 0:03:53.168,0:03:56.750 - [Claudia] Then I remember thinking[br]that there were interesting aspects 0:03:56.750,0:04:01.069 in terms of child labor[br]and families. 0:04:01.069,0:04:05.950 It suddenly occurred to me,[br]the main changes in the labor force 0:04:05.950,0:04:07.539 had to do with women. 0:04:09.576,0:04:10.603 - [Narrator] She realized 0:04:10.603,0:04:12.666 that there was[br]a huge story in U.S. history 0:04:12.666,0:04:15.301 that was missing[br]from economist scrutiny, 0:04:15.301,0:04:19.941 and that was the great evolution[br]of women's labor force participation. 0:04:21.207,0:04:23.151 - [Claudia] The women[br]who were working -- 0:04:23.151,0:04:25.650 from much of the history[br]that I was looking at -- 0:04:25.650,0:04:27.635 were young single women. 0:04:27.635,0:04:30.952 But then it morphed[br]into studying how it was 0:04:30.952,0:04:36.710 that older married women[br]with families joined the workforce. 0:04:37.284,0:04:40.238 - [Narrator] Goldin combined[br]deep archival research, 0:04:40.238,0:04:42.002 history, and economics 0:04:42.002,0:04:44.085 to conduct study after study, 0:04:44.085,0:04:46.017 examining how various dimensions 0:04:46.017,0:04:48.568 of women's participation[br]in the U.S. labor force 0:04:48.568,0:04:50.697 evolved over 200 years. 0:04:51.517,0:04:54.538 - [Ilyana] Claudia's best known[br]for her contributions 0:04:54.538,0:04:56.452 to the economics of gender. 0:04:56.452,0:04:58.469 She sort of pioneers that area. 0:04:58.803,0:05:02.351 - [Lawrence] She has been thinking[br]about things no one had known -- 0:05:02.351,0:05:05.417 like why is it that women's jobs 0:05:05.417,0:05:08.134 were much more likely[br]to be paid piece rate 0:05:08.134,0:05:09.934 than men's jobs? 0:05:09.934,0:05:13.057 Why is money taken away[br]and given to their parents? 0:05:13.057,0:05:15.917 The important role[br]for caring for the family 0:05:15.917,0:05:18.302 and how that affects[br]the labor market. 0:05:18.302,0:05:23.069 She just has a determination[br]to figure out what's true, 0:05:23.069,0:05:26.676 to find the new data,[br]to read the historical sources, 0:05:26.676,0:05:29.701 to think about what[br]the actual people making decisions -- 0:05:29.701,0:05:33.235 one of the huge advantages[br]we have as economists, 0:05:33.235,0:05:35.684 we can actually read the diaries 0:05:35.684,0:05:38.016 of actual people[br]making these decisions 0:05:38.016,0:05:39.422 and talk to them and interview them 0:05:39.422,0:05:41.035 when we're doing[br]contemporaneous work 0:05:41.035,0:05:43.141 or read their inner thoughts. 0:05:44.918,0:05:47.818 - [Narrator] As just one example,[br]Goldin's exhaustive research 0:05:47.818,0:05:50.568 has led her[br]to identify four phases, 0:05:50.568,0:05:52.852 going back to the late 19th century, 0:05:52.852,0:05:55.617 that shaped women's role[br]in the U.S. economy. 0:05:55.617,0:05:58.116 The first three phases[br]were evolutionary. 0:05:58.692,0:06:02.333 While important advances were made[br]through the evolutionary phases, 0:06:02.333,0:06:04.153 women also had limited control 0:06:04.153,0:06:06.766 over key decisions[br]affecting their employment. 0:06:07.497,0:06:08.814 Women in those periods 0:06:08.814,0:06:12.305 were more likely to view[br]their working lives as intermittent 0:06:12.305,0:06:14.437 and a means to put food[br]on the table. 0:06:14.970,0:06:19.143 Then came the quiet revolution,[br]starting in the late 1970s. 0:06:19.436,0:06:22.737 Women of the quiet revolution[br]generally viewed their careers 0:06:22.737,0:06:25.595 as a significant part[br]of their personal identity 0:06:25.595,0:06:28.286 and made their own decisions[br]about their working lives. 0:06:28.286,0:06:30.683 Goldin found that this latest phase 0:06:30.683,0:06:34.087 was triggered mainly by[br]increased investments in education 0:06:34.087,0:06:36.862 and increased availability[br]of contraceptives. 0:06:39.035,0:06:40.884 - [Edward] More than[br]any other person, 0:06:40.884,0:06:45.836 she has been central in the study[br]of women and work in economics. 0:06:45.836,0:06:47.636 She gave it a broad[br]historical sweep. 0:06:47.636,0:06:50.383 She tied it to economic theory[br]in a tight way. 0:06:50.383,0:06:55.301 Anyone who works on the issue[br]of women and work going forward 0:06:55.301,0:06:58.702 will be citing Claudia Goldin[br]and will be influenced by her. 0:06:58.702,0:07:00.737 - [Narrator] Working together[br]with Larry Katz, 0:07:00.737,0:07:04.711 she's also done critical research[br]about education, technology, 0:07:04.711,0:07:07.852 and the extreme dangers[br]of income inequality. 0:07:07.852,0:07:10.019 - She's among[br]the first to document 0:07:10.019,0:07:13.986 what we now think of[br]as a U shape of inequality 0:07:13.986,0:07:16.435 over the 20th century. 0:07:16.435,0:07:19.184 To this day, economists[br]are still trying to figure out 0:07:19.184,0:07:21.404 the determinants of that U shape. 0:07:21.404,0:07:23.686 - [Narrator] As the first woman[br]to be offered tenure 0:07:23.686,0:07:25.786 in the Harvard Economics Department, 0:07:25.786,0:07:27.003 she also takes her role 0:07:27.003,0:07:30.486 of mentoring the next generation[br]of economists seriously. 0:07:30.486,0:07:32.370 - [Dev] As any graduate[br]student will tell you, 0:07:32.370,0:07:34.591 advisors play a critical role. 0:07:34.591,0:07:36.218 It's these personal touches 0:07:36.218,0:07:39.386 that make Claudia Goldin[br]such a wonderful advisor -- 0:07:39.386,0:07:42.565 whether it's walking[br]her dog, Pika, with her, 0:07:43.565,0:07:46.904 receiving midnight texts from her[br]that always make me laugh. 0:07:46.904,0:07:49.953 - She's not always serious --[br]which is, of course, very important 0:07:49.953,0:07:51.863 because if someone's[br]constantly serious, 0:07:51.863,0:07:54.736 it's just so intimidating[br]as a student. 0:07:55.653,0:07:57.760 - [Narrator] In 2014,[br]Goldin started 0:07:57.760,0:08:00.579 the Undergraduate Women[br]in Economics Program -- 0:08:01.102,0:08:05.192 a broad initiative to encourage[br]more female economics majors. 0:08:05.192,0:08:06.717 - When I'm doing my best research, 0:08:06.717,0:08:09.877 I am reminded of[br]what I learned from Claudia, 0:08:09.877,0:08:12.211 and how research can be fun, 0:08:12.211,0:08:14.889 how it's a mystery[br]that you want to unravel. 0:08:15.826,0:08:18.008 - [Edward] She brings a joy[br]to her research. 0:08:18.008,0:08:20.296 We were famously called[br]the "dismal science." 0:08:20.296,0:08:22.418 Well, certainly when[br]Claudia Goldin does economics, 0:08:22.418,0:08:23.891 it's anything but dismal. 0:08:25.423,0:08:27.192 - [Narrator] Want to better[br]understand Goldin 0:08:27.192,0:08:29.726 and her contributions[br]to labor economics? 0:08:29.726,0:08:32.892 Click here for related materials[br]and practice questions. 0:08:32.892,0:08:34.192 Or, check out other videos 0:08:34.192,0:08:37.009 on how economists[br]are tackling all sorts of issues, 0:08:37.009,0:08:38.644 ranging from weighty topics, 0:08:38.644,0:08:40.811 such as the Great Recession[br]and public health, 0:08:40.811,0:08:42.825 to everyday topics, like wine -- 0:08:42.825,0:08:44.377 yes, even wine!