Working Paper: NBER ID: w10335
Authors: Claudia Goldin
Abstract: Meaningful discussions about women at the top' can take place today only because a quiet revolution occurred about thirty years ago. The transformation was startlingly rapid and was accomplished by the unwitting foot soldiers of an upheaval that transformed the workforce. It can be seen in a number of social and economic indicators. Sharp breaks are apparent in data on labor market expectations, college graduation rates, professional degrees, labor force participation rates, and the age at first marriage. Turning points are also evident in most of the series for college majors and occupations. Inflection or break points in almost all of these series occur from the late 1960s to the early 1970s and for cohorts born during the 1940s. Whatever the precise reasons for change, a great divide in college-graduate women's lives and employment occurred about 35 years ago. Previously, women who reached the peaks often made solo climbs and symbolized that women, contrary to conventional wisdom, could achieve greatness. But real change demanded a march by the masses from the valley to the summit.' That march began with cohorts born in the late 1940s.
Keywords: women; labor force participation; education; contraceptive pill; gender roles
JEL Codes: J0; N3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| introduction of the contraceptive pill (J13) | lower costs for young women to pursue careers (J13) |
| lower costs for young women to pursue careers (J13) | increase in labor force participation (J21) |
| lower costs for young women to pursue careers (J13) | alter educational investments (I26) |
| changes in labor market expectations (J29) | shift from traditional roles to professional aspirations (J62) |
| sharp increases in the percentage of young women expecting to work at age 35 (J29) | changes in labor market expectations (J29) |
| educational choices of women shifted dramatically (I24) | movement away from female-intensive majors (J16) |
| movement away from female-intensive majors (J16) | shift toward male-intensive and career-oriented fields (J79) |
| increased educational attainment (I24) | delayed marriage (J12) |
| increased educational attainment (I24) | increased career investment (J24) |
| delayed marriage (J12) | increased career investment (J24) |
| median age at first marriage for college graduate women increased (J19) | due to shifts in labor market expectations and educational attainment (J29) |