The Harvard professor, who is the third woman to be awarded the prestigious economics prize, was given the nod"for having advanced our understanding of women's labour market outcomes," the jury said.
Globally, about 50 percent of women participate in the labour market compared to 80 percent of men, but women earn less and are less likely to reach the top of the career ladder, the prize committee noted. The jury highlighted that Goldin's work's"provided the first comprehensive account of women's earnings and labour market participation through the centuries."
The economics prize, set up by the Swedish central bank, was the only award absent from the original five created by scientist Alfred Nobel, sometimes earning it the moniker of"false Nobel".