Hi Zooliners, 

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Every October, our team prepares for a big announcement. We chill a bottle of Sekt and we set up the livestream. We each have our individual speculations or picks. It isn’t the Oscars or Golden Globes (though, we do have similar traditions there), it’s the Nobel Prize announcements.

Last year, on October 9, we sat, bubbly in hand, as Claudia Goldin was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. Her win was major in a few ways; she was only the third woman to win the prize since its inception in 1969 and she was the first ever female solo recipient. Goldin has spent most of her career researching the history of women in the labor force, examining the impact education has and the importance of expectations. She’s researched the power of the contraceptive pill and coordinated equilibriums. She advanced our understanding of the gender gap, while she herself climbed a career ladder in economics at a time when the field was male-dominated, making her ascent all the more remarkable. Goldin’s contributions to labor economics and economic history have not only broadened the scope of these disciplines but have also paved the way for future generations of women economists. We’ve been working on the Nobel Perspectives program for nearly a decade and it’s an initiative that’s so rich in so many ways. Of the 93 awarded Nobel economists to date, 96 percent of them are men, and most of them are white men. While economics as a field struggles with diversity, Goldin’s win – both in terms of representation and the focus of her work itself – was a massive step in a more inclusive and equitable direction. Being able to include her in the Nobel Perspectives program was a genuine delight.

We visited her at her office at Harvard University on a typical Cambridge spring day, the type that is gloomy but also warm. The campus was quieter than usual as the academic year was coming to a close. When Goldin arrived, she was accompanied by her husband and fellow economist, Lawrence (or Larry) Katz, and their golden retriever, Pika. Pika is a huge part of their lives, so much so that the Nobel committee included Pika in a graphic announcing Goldin’s win and has his own subpage on Goldin’s Harvard profile. This type of connection resonates pretty deeply with us at Zoo. Our office currently is made up of five humans and two dogs, while one dog and three cats work mostly remotely. Aurelia’s beloved pug, Martin, passed earlier this summer after being a staple on sets and in the office for the last decade. Our shared love for animals was our first, but not last, piece of common ground – we knew it was going to be a great day.

Pika stayed with Larry in his office while we set up for the interview and spent the next few hours diving into her academic work, her personal passion, and her advocacy for gender equality. More than an interview, it was a peek into the journey of one woman’s dedication to reshaping the landscape of economics and women’s roles within it.

Goldin’s presence is as commanding as it is approachable. The 78-year-old stands just over 5 feet tall, 160 cm, and tows the line between soft spoken and commanding perfectly. She speaks eloquently and clearly, inviting you into the topics in such a way that it feels comfortable, even familiar. When asked how she’s mastered this type of communication, she coyly responded, “I’m not sure I have.”

During our interview, Goldin discussed her groundbreaking work on women’s participation in the labor force and the employment gender gap which culminated with the 1990 publishing of her book “Understanding the Gender Gap”. She spoke of the progress that’s been made, as well as the persistent challenges that women always seem to face in achieving true parity in the labor market. She spoke of unprecedented times, first with the introduction of the pill and second, the more recent push towards remote work spurred by the COVID pandemic. She likens herself to a detective, which is apt, as she walked us through her methodology of combining data analysis with first person narratives. Starting with the data is her preferred first step, looking for patterns, trends, and hidden stories. In the case of her research surrounding women in the labor force, she knew the data wasn’t telling the full story, so she began sourcing biographies of women who lived in the early 1900’s. With these narratives, she was able to paint a much broader, more contextual, and accurate portrayal of what work meant at that time and why so many women simply didn’t see what they did as a “job.”

We walked the grounds of Harvard after our interview, where she shared anecdotes from her illustrious career, blending humor with profound insights. Larry and Pika joined for the walk. They were not just good company, they were also a reminder that behind the esteemed professor and accomplished scholar is a person who values family, companionship, and the simple joys of life. This glimpse into her personal world added depth to our understanding of Goldin, portraying her as a multidimensional woman whose professional and personal lives are harmoniously intertwined.

Our time with Goldin was more than an interview; it was an educational experience and a source of inspiration. It reaffirmed the importance of storytelling in highlighting the journeys of those who are reshaping our world. Her story is a testament to the impact one person can have.

If you’d like to read Goldin’s full profile, visit the Nobel Perspectives hub here.

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Greetings on top, from Zoo Kid On The Blog

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