Career and family

A century of women's fight for equality

A hundred years ago, a woman with a university degree was forced to choose between a career and a family. Women bore the entire responsibility for family care, and career progression was far from a given for them. Achieving both at the same time was practically unthinkable. Today, more women have a university education than ever before, and more and more of them want to have it all: a fulfilling career and a family. However, old problems persist—and new ones are emerging.

Economist and historian Claudia Goldin has dedicated decades to researching the differences between men's and women's careers, their remuneration, their position in the labour market, and the balancing of personal and professional life. In her book Career & Family, she summarises the diverse experiences of women, policies focused on the labour market and personal life, and changes in employers' attitudes. She shows that while anti-discrimination laws and enlightened managers are important, they are not enough. It is necessary to look at family care, work, and their interconnectedness from a completely different perspective.

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences

A Book of the Year according to The Economist

The book Career & Family explores how women have struggled for decades to find a balance between work and home. One of the main messages of the book is that the participation of women in the labour market transforms the very nature of work.
— Financial Times